How to properly cover a pimple...

We've all been there... we wake up in the morning to find a massive red zit on our faces! And of course, as luck has it, it's usually on a very important day.
Wedding, a party, a date, picture day!
         
With something so common (everyone breaks out!) it's important to know how to properly take care of covering this issue. Many try to overcompensate by using LOTS of product. This is only going to attract more attention to the blemish.
More Makeup = More Staring
That's no good!     

So here are some tips for covering that baby the RIGHT way.

1. Treat it don't Pop it!

If you can, do your best to keep your paws off! The less you touch it, the better off you'll be. So if you're waking up to this, and you're on the way out, be sure to start by cleaning your hands and your skin. Then if you have a leave on treatment, apply it before makeup and after your moisturizer.
YES.
You will need to moisturize. Your skin needs to be hydrated regardless of your skin type.

2. Use as little product as possible!

One of the tricks of makeup is, Less is More.
And it's so true.
If you plan to wear a full face of makeup, start with your foundation to cover what you can. Then go in with your lightweight concealer. Take a very thin, flat concealer brush and gently dip into your concealer. I highly suggest a creamy concealer-- nothing too chalky or hard or cakey. I love Nars Radiant Creamy Concealers!

Gently, using the tip of your brush, create little X's over the pimple. Do this several times in different directions (so the X's overlap), until covered.

3. Set it!

With a very lightweight powder, take a little on a fluffy brush (an eyeshadow brush works well) and gently tap some powder on top to set the makeup. If you've done it right, it should be covered without calling attention, and if you need a little extra concealer, it shouldn't be a problem to gently tap a little extra on after powder. 

So easy! Just remember to not get frustrated, and as always, it's usually never as noticeable to others as you may think! These things are always bigger in our own eyes ;)

Another tip to help, depending on where your blemish is, try to accentuate the feature that is not close by.
For example:
 Say you have a zit on your chin. You probably don't want to wear bright red lips that day as it will...
A) accentuate any redness you may have in that area
and
B) attract others eyes to that part of your face.
So it'd be best to play up your eyes that day. Go for a winged liner or some shadows. You want to make sure your focal point is directed away from the blemish :)

Hope this helps! Be sure to keep this in mind the next time you're mid freak out when you find that annoying pimple :) You can cover it!

Two Current Favorites for on-the-go makeup!

Morning all,

I know that every single one of us has that item we can't leave the house without! You know when you're running late for a lunch meeting or on your way out to meet up with a friend and you don't have time to put on your face? So you go straight for the one or two products that you can quickly apply on-the-go. Well mine happen to be.. Concealer and Mascara (and lipstick-which is always in my purse to apply as blush and my pout!) 

I've always preached to clients that mascara is kind of a funny thing, you can only keep it for 3-5 months (due to bacterial growth, and effectiveness), so why spend a ton of money? I still believe that many drug store brands do an incredible job and are highly effective - AND they are usually only $8!! You can't beat that :) You'd be surprised to know that most makeup artists use drugstore mascara, partially because we go through it so quickly, but also because we can't even use the wand that comes with it! 

Side Note: Most drugstore brands are owned (or own) bigger brands you find in department stores! What does that mean? It means that you can find quality products for a fraction of the cost! They want to be able to reach every person with every budget :) 

Mascara: 

Who doesn't love mascara?! Pretty much every woman I've met never leaves the house without it (Except for you exceptionally lucky ladies with thick, luscious lashes of your own)!

I'm a HUGE fan of Maybelline's Full N' Soft Mascara:

It plumps up my little baby lashes and doesn't clump at all! 

Another fan favorite: L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara

I know a lot of artists that use this one in their kit. I really like it, but it does pack a lot of product on that brush! It's great for an evening look where you can amp up those lashes!

I can pretty much get by with those two types of mascara, I think they are really fantastic formulas! Now I've strayed away from them, only because I was having a major issue with some of my clients... 

SMUDGING!

 Even the waterproof mascaras wouldn't cut it! After a little research I finally learned that apparently, waterproof formulas don't prevent smudging and you need a smudge proof mascara. Recently Maybelline and a couple other drugstore brands have started advertising for smudge proof formulas, but I haven't tried them yet - Let me know what you think of them if you do! 

Another type of mascara that's floating around is Tube Technology mascara (SO Scientific!) This is the mascara I happened to purchase for my smudge problem and it's kind of amazing! 

 This is Tube Technology mascara from Blinc, which you can find in any beauty store. 

How it works: It's a pretty wet formula (so be sure to let it sit and dry a minute before blinking :)) Once it sets, it forms these tubes around each individual lash. So they look longer, fuller AND it does not move!! 

In order to remove the product, you need warm water and you have to carefully and gently pull your lashes with your fingers. It's crazy! It freaked me out at first because it felt like I was pulling out my own lashes, but you are actually pulling off the individual tubes. And, you'll notice that even when rubbing your fingers with water on the tubes, they don't smudge! This is perfect for weddings, and other long events where you really need to make your mascara last! 

Concealer: 

I've always been a HUGE fan of Eve Pearl Concealers! She is an incredible artist based in NY and has her own line of makeup that is beautiful! 

You can order her products online: www.evepearl.com

This is her Salmon concealer which is perfect for under eye circles.

This is her concealer trio (comes in different shades), which is nice for individual use for when your skin tone changes with the seasons, but also perfect for any makeup artist's kit! Her concealers are smooth, creamy and layer able! I will never ditch her concealers... but I have to say I have found another one to love as well....

NARS! Crazy that it has taken me 6 years before trying this stuff! I love it! I keep this one at home for myself, it comes with a salmon-pinky color to conceal under eye circles, and then a more yellow based for redness and evening of the skin! It's smooth, lightweight and wears beautifully throughout the day! 

So there you have it, some oldies and some newbies! All favorites of mine and all amazing! xoxo