Monday, September 26, 2016

Bronzer the RIGHT way

Many of you are confused with how to apply bronzer. 
You're not alone! 
Bronzer can be tricky. It's really important to use right kind and color for your skin as well as how you apply it. 

Like most makeup products, there are a lot of different kinds of bronzers. 
There are liquid/cream bronzers, pressed bronzers, loose powdered bronzers! They can be matte, or golden toned, or even glittery. 

So here's a quick breakdown on how to do bronzer the right way so it looks like your natural glowy skin.

Liquid/Cream Bronzers

These can be tricky, but once you get the hang of them, they are quite beautiful. They are sheer and often add that dewey luminescence most of us are dying to get! 

Just take a small amount on the back of your hand or onto a palette. 
Take a medium, loose brush or a Duo fiber brush and tap it into the liquid bronzer. 

Here are two great brush options: 


                                                 
Gently buff the product onto the skin starting at the high points of the face (where the sun would naturally hit you: forehead, nose, cheekbones) and in small circular motions, carefully blend into the skin. 

*I would suggest placing this over a liquid or cream foundation and then with a lightweight powder, carefully set the makeup where needed (usually around the nose, under the eyes, etc). *

Here are some great Liquid bronzers to try: 

photo c/o nars.com
Nars Laguna Illuminator
$30

I use this on a lot of my clients! Technically it's an illuminator, so it has some more highlight tones in it rather than a matte finish. I love to apply this on the cheeks, forehead and nose for a bronzy, glowy and of course illuminated look. 

photo c/o benefit.com 

Benefit's Dew the Hoola Soft Matte Liquid Bronzer
$28

For a softer, more natural looking bronzer, this does the trick! It's a matte finish and gently blends into the skin for that subtle but mesmerizing sun kissed color.

photo c/o shainabrown.com

Josie Maran Bronzing Argan Oil
$39

This beautiful bronzing oil adds a hydrating, subtle glow to the skin. It can be applied by pressing it into the skin with your hands- making it very easy and foolproof. Something to remember about this product is that it IS an oil! So it's not going to have as much of that bronze-y punch you may be looking for, but it's great for that subtle glow. 

Matte Bronzer

Looking for a little more sun kissed color in your skin? A matte bronzer is a very user friendly product (when applied correctly and using the right color for your skin!)

Matte bronzer can be used all over the face. Some people take this a little too far and can end up looking like a completely different color from their neck and chest. It's so important to find the right color for you!

A good rule of thumb is to go one to two shades darker than your tone. Try to stay in the same undertone family as well. The cooler you are, go for a cooler toned bronzer and the warmer you are, you can find the warmer toned bronzers. DO NOT go darker than two shades! Once you do, it looks very unnatural and can potentially look more orange than bronze.

Best way to apply powder bronzer: 
Use a Big Fluffy brush- you want the bristles to be loosely packed so you can softly and evenly display the color. The tighter the bristles are packed together, the more packed on your color will be.

A great brush option: 

I prefer using Natural hair brushes when it comes to applying bronzer. Here's a great brush from Bobbi Brown-- and it's even labeled "bronzer" on the handle so you don't forget!

*When applying something like bronzer or blush, it's important to work in layers. This will prevent any over distribution of color in one area. *

Swirl your brush into the powder, tap it against the edge of a table to remove excess product. From there you'll want to apply it to the skin-- there are two great ways to do this.

1) The Number 3: Apply the color in the shape of the number 3 starting at the top of the head, round into the cheekbone, and round under the jawline. This creates a soft natural "contour"as well as warming the skin.
2) The Sun: Apply where the sun would naturally hit you. Gently swipe it across your forehead, down your nose, chin and hit the apples of the cheeks and cheekbones. This gives more of a natural sun color glow.

Here are some great Matte Bronzers: 

Tarte Amazonian Clay Matte Waterproof Bronzer
$30
This is a great color for my fair skinned beauties! This soft tawny bronze is a great color for fair skin to look like it has a natural sun kissed glow. 


Nars Bronzing Powder
$39

Nars carries 3 shades of bronzer that are beautifully crafted. I'm kind of cheating here because they have more of a radiant finish than a matte finish, but I'm still including it here because they look soft and natural without looking too highlighted.


NYX Matte Bronzer
$9

I'm actually pretty impressed with NYX and their bronzers! They come in 5 shades with an option of cool or warmer undertones, which makes it easier to choose one for your skin!


Just because Summer is over doesn't mean bronzer is off the makeup table! Fall and winter is a great time to subtly apply bronzer to keep a healthy glow all year round.

Best of luck to you on your bronzer journey! I hope this helps you out! If you have any additional questions, feel free to leave them in the comments section!

Monday, September 19, 2016

2016 Emmys

The Emmy's were last night! 

As I was sipping champagne and snacking on Thai food at my sister's house, we excitedly watched the red carpet for today's blog post. 

Here are the Top 5 Best Styled Looks from the Emmy's! 

5. Sarah Hyland

I know,  I've put Sarah Hyland on the list before, but she must have one great styling team! I am kind of obsessed with her look from last night. 

photo c/o popsugar.com

Her Silhouette was very 1950's chic-- I'm completely in love with this outfit! 

photo c/o popsugar.com

photo c/o co.uk

I think she styled everything perfectly well with it. From the very sophistacted low looped style was a perfect accent to this dress. Her makeup was perfectly on point as well-- soft, dewey, golden toned... It was very fresh and modern. 

4. Yara Shahidi

This young lady looked so beautiful! I love that this 16 year old was able to keep her look young and fresh. 
photo c/o usmagazine.com 

photo c/o justjared.com 

Her makeup was clean, with a copper toned eye and lashes (no liner!). Her hair was a perfect compliment wiht a deep side part and pinned loosely in the back-- it had the essence of vintage flair (as did her dress and accessories) but still felt young and hip. 

3. Kristen Bell

Dudes. 
She looked awesome! 

photo c/o usmagazine.com

Her fairytale dress was so playful and whimsical-- I love that she decided to keep her hair down for this. If she put it in an updo it would have had a completely different feeling. But leaving it down allowed her to be more playful and loose. 

photo c/o glamour.com

The makeup was very pretty-- clean skin with pops of highlight around the eyes and on her cheekbones played up the fantasy part of the look while also making those features pop! Her eye color really shined through with the burgundy shadows (which was a color pulled from her dress). Well done!

2. Mandy Moore

You may not agree with me, but I am a sucker for anything resembling the 70's and Mandy Moore gave me major 70s vibes last night! 


photo c/o today.com

I am kind of obsessed with the center part, long bangs and loose waves. It's so cool and effortless and really compliments her dress (there's a lot going on from the color to the ruffles, but I love it!)


Her makeup played well with the look -- those burnt red lips paired with that yellow dress was so pitch perfect! I love that she kept her eyes in the neutral browns and a pop of color on the cheek to balance it out. 

And finally... 

The one I literally yelled "OH MY, YES!" at the television screen as soon as I saw her walk on... 


1.  Kerry Washington

I try not to put Kerry Washington on every best styled blog, but my goodness this woman has killer style, and last night was no different! 

photo c/o eonline.com 

She looks incredible! I love this sexy, black, sleek dress on her and that it still shows off her baby bump. It's refreshing to see her play up this wild, sexy side with that HAIR. 
OMG YOU GUYS HER HAIR!

photo c/o glamour.com

It was amazing. I am obsessed with her going natural and letting it be free rather than fighting the heat and humidity. 

Her makeup was natural and minimal, allowing her glowing skin to be the main focus (well, that and the hair.. and the baby bump)!


And there you have it, my top 5 from the night! I always love hearing who your favorite styled looks are! Feel free to share in the comments section :) 







Monday, September 12, 2016

Oily Skin Tips

Hello loves,

I've been a bit behind in my blogging as I was actually in an accident -- all is okay! but I was out of the office a bit and working on set as it's definitely the "busy season!"

But now that I'm back, I thought I'd help my fellow oily skinned beauties with touching up throughout the day! 

I have combination skin (as does much of the population!) so my skin can become dehydrated quite easily, but becomes an oil slick midday. 

So what do you do? 

Powder? 
Blotters?

Let me fill you in on some tips to help control the shine. 
Remember, a little shine is okay! Our skin is a living organ and it's okay to not be totally matted down as that's not very natural looking. But we don't love being shiny all over.... 
 It's about finding the happy medium :) 

Step 1: Moisturize your skin! 

I have clients tell me all the time that because they are so oily, they avoid putting moisturizer on. They think it just adds to the "greasiness." 
This is so counter productive! 
Your skin craves moisture. Internally and externally (so drink plenty of water!!!!). When you neglect your skin of moisturizer, your skin actually freaks out and starts over producing oil as a way to "hydrate" your skin. 

It's so important that you find a lightweight moisturizer (preferably one with SPF), to wear throughout the day.  

I like this one from Mario Badescu 
$28


Something to keep in mind, it may take a month or two for your skin to adjust to the change. 

Step 2: Blot your skin.

Blotting papers are your friend! 
They are great to keep in your bag for midday touch ups. Regardless of whether or not you're wearing makeup, these babies immediately absorb the oil. 
I prefer blotting papers without powder in them. 

I am loving these Clean and Clear Blotting Papers

Step 3: Apply Anti-shine

There are lots of great mattifying products to choose from. They are generally a silicone based product (usually colorless, otherwise they have a slight tint). You can apply to your skin before makeup or after--as a touch up rather than powder. 

I recently fell in love with Face to Face Super Matte Antishine
$28
Simply tap onto your skin using your fingers for a touch up, or brush onto skin before makeup.

Step 4: Powder

I always leave powder as a last resort. If you powder yourself all day, you will end up having a caked on face of makeup! Use steps 1-3 daily and if you blot and tap on the antishine and still feel like you need a little extra matting, you can apply a bit of powder. 

For touching up it's convenient to just get a powder compact that is your color or colorless. 

Here's a great pressed powder from Makeup Forever
$22
I always suggest pressing the powder onto the skin with a puff, or cotton pad, and then dusting off any excess with a brush. Otherwise a small brush is ideal for powdering those tough oily spots! (around the nose anyone??)

I hope these tips are helpful and that you can start your hunt for the perfect products for YOU

Remember to stay hydrated, eat well, and blot!