Friday, August 17, 2012

Natural Make Up Tips

Here are a few tips I've picked up through the years of trying to perfect the natural look.

Number One: Don't Overdo It
 Go only slightly darker than your natural coloring with your makeup. (ie eyeliner and mascara) I use a brown mascara and eyeliner in my everyday look, as to not look overdone. Keep in mind that I have blonde hair naturally and my coloring is quite light, go with what you have.

Number Two: Blend
 A person does not have natural sharply lined eyes (unless you're a cartoon character) so I always blend out everything including my eyeliner.

Number Three: Be Consistent
 To achieve a natural look that will have everyone guessing if you're even wearing make up is to use the same  products in all areas of the face. I will use my bronzer as my eyeshadow and contour to make sure my coloring is the same all around. This will also add a glow without giving too much away.

Number Four: Sponges Work Wonders
 After I am done my face make up I spray my face with a fixing spray and press my makeup into my skin to eliminate that chalky look and bring a natural glow to the face. MAC fix+ has been my go to for years.

Number Five: Beat The Heat
 Use some kind of finishing spray to keep your makeup in place all day. I use model in a bottle every time I know I'm going to have a long day. I've worked through 12 hour shifts and ran through the rain and my makeup didn't move an inch!

Monday, June 11, 2012

How to Get No Frizz Silky Hair Naturally.

So I have very wavy hair, that when I let it dry normally it frizzes up a lot, but after a lot of different routines I found something that worked.

Materials you'll need:
pillow case or towel
spray bottle
shampoo 
conditioner
wide tooth comb

So I tend to shower every other day because it's healthier and less time consuming than washing it everyday. I shower at night about an hour before bed so when I go to sleep my hair is damp. 

Step 1:
While your in the shower do what you normally do, but before washing out the conditioner flip your head upside down and brush out your hair until it is smooth without any knots. 

Step 2:
Rinse your hair out (don't flip back over).  I do this to make sure I have as little knots as possible because in order to keep your natural hair texture intact I don't brush it after I get out of the shower.

Step 3:
Wrap your hair in a towel to dry for a half hour. 

Optional Step:
My hair is very long so to give my hair a little lift I blow dry the roots after spraying in some heat protector.

Step 4
When your hair is about 70 percent dry you should go to bed. lay your hair flat on your pillow going upwards and place a pillow case or towel over it. By the time you wake up in the morning your hair will be dry and without frizz.

So this process is a little time consuming, but i don't like to use heat on my hair so it works for me. this can also be used for those days when your hair needs a break.





Monday, April 30, 2012

Review: Lorac multiplex 3D eyeshadow palette

I bought this palette in January and I go to it whenever I'm in the mood for exaggerated shimmer or a metallic finish. Every eye shadow is soft and extremely pigmented. The staying power is also pretty good. It does wear off slightly, but that's after about 5-6 hours of wear. The palette itself is packaged and designed really cute. The big mirror is just a bonus.




Eye Shadows: 
Top row (left to right)

  •  This first eye shadow is white gold highlight color. 
  • The second color in this row is a metallic yellow gold, just gold. Like "BAM" gold. I have never found an eye shadow so amazing.
  • And the last color in this row is a reddish brown with a green duo chrome to it. A dupe for this would be club eye shadow by MAC.
Bottom row (left to right)

  • This is a silver. Just like the gold it comes off with a almost metal like shine.
  • This next color is a sapphire metallic blue. It is a deep shimmery blue.
  • And finally the color is a black with silver glitter. Unlike most black shimmery eye shadows the shimmer actually shows up on the eye.
The overall palette it amazing, all the colors are extremely pigmented and soft. It is definitely worth the money. 


Monday, April 16, 2012

How To: Change your part

So I recently, for the first time in my life, changed my part. It usually parts on the left side of my head and now its on the right. The reason was because I have a giant cowlick or section of hair that grows in the opposite direction of the rest on the back left of my head. I finally got sick of trying to deal with it and so the ordeal of changing my part began. So this is how I did it.

Materials needed:
Hair dryer
snap pins or bobby pins
hair spray or mousse
heat protector

Step One: If you have bangs make sure to accommodate them with the new part. I cut mine myself, but if you need a professional then go for that. Make sure to tell them exactly where you want your new hair parted and tell them to cut your hair accordingly. This step is optional, but sometimes when changing the part it also changes your style (layers, uneven on sides or crown) so keep that in mind.

Step Two: When hair is wet comb it to your new part. Spray with heat protector and add mousse (you can skip the mousse if you only have hairspray). Then blow dry hair so when dry it stays in the position of the new part. Blow dry any opposing hair to the opposite side.

Step Three: If you are leaving your hair down (recommended) spray hair with hair spray, especially where the hairs position is being changed.

Step Four: If you are going to sleep after you have done the previous steps pin the opposing hair down to make it stay in the position you want while you're sleeping.

Basic Concept: If the hair disagrees, spray it down and pin it until it agrees.



Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Natural eye make up for down turned eyes

So I am going to be writing about down turned eyes and how I balance my own out to where I like them to be. So I love my eye shape and never had problems with makeup because of them, but sometimes I feel like I look tired. This is a way to help lift your eyes while still looking natural.

Products you'll need:
Mascara (brown or black)
Angled eyeliner brush or flat eyeliner brush
Brown eyeliner (Black if you want a more dramatic look)
Brown eye shadow

Step One: First you'll need to line the upper inner rim of your eye (tight line). I used brown gel eyeliner but if your eyes are too sensitive you can use a pencil eyeliner. (I used maybelline eyestudio brown gel eyeliner)

Step Two: Then you'll want to line the outer half of your lid with the brown eye shadow. If you want to make it more defined you can apply a gel eyeliner in place of the eye shadow. (I used the brown eye shadow from the Smashbox Classified palette with the brush that came with it. You can also use the MAC 212 brush.)


Step Three: Apply two coats of mascara. To make your eyes even more lifted apply a third coat to only the outer half of the eye lashes.  (I used Sephora black mascara with Covergirl Lashblast in brown black)

Quick Tips:
  • If wearing eye shadow, make sure to apply it in an almost egg shape, smallest amount in the inner corner while gradually getting thicker as you go to the outer corner to almost create a smoked out winged look.

  • Winged eye liner will also lift your eyes, but in a little more noticeable way 
  • Basically the majority of the makeup will be in the outer corner in order to create a rounded or balanced eye shape.
Products I Recommend:

Forever 21's Love & Beauty Eyeshadow Palette: $3.80
This is a cheap and comparable alternative to the smashbox palette I used for the look.

E.L.F. Cream Eyeliner in Coffee: $3.00
This is a cheap alternative I've used. It does tend to dry out rather quickly, but it's definitely worth the price and more. 



Final look:





Sunday, April 1, 2012

Gel Moisturizers: Intro

So I'm thinking about doing a series of reviews on different gel moisturizers. they would be about a month to two months apart just to give time to analyse. So basically my skin, as of now, reacts horribly to anything that is heavier than a gel, but my skin can still get extremely tight and dry. Moisturizer is a must for me, it's just trying to find one that doesn't break me out completely thats the problem. Right now I'm using MAC charged water mineral gel moisturizer, but it's a bit pricey for my budget. I'll do a list of some of the moisturizers I'm planning on reviewing soon. Sorry if this blog makes no sense whatsoever, it's 5:30 in the morning and I'm sick, but I've been sitting here researching moisturizers for the past half hour. Just thought I'd write about this and let people know, even though I'm pretty sure no one really reads these. But if you are reading this and you have the same problem. Let me know about moisturizers you've been looking at and tell me. I might do a review of them. =]
Thanks and hope everyone is doing well!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Skin Story: routine that cleared up my face

So my face isn't acne prone or anything like that. I have fairly sensitive skin and it reacts differently to some things. I had a clear complexion without any pimples up until last October I'd say. Then everything started to going down hill. I didn't know what was going on and figured it wasn't my facial routine because it was the same since I started wearing makeup and then suddenly it started to look really bad. I didn't have pimples but white heads that would form and stay, form and stay until my cheeks and chin looked horrible. I went to my dermatologist to find out what was wrong he said not to worry and just do what  was doing, so I did. It didn't work for obvious reasons. So I started to do my own research and set out to cure it myself. I tried masks, exfoliating. That helped a little then I began to read up on the benefits of  benzoyl peroxide on the skin and went out that day and bought 10% benzoyl peroxide cream and that night I washed my face and put this on without any moisturizer cause that seemed to be helping form the break outs. I did this for a week, then my skin began to dry out so I knew I needed to moisturize, but I didn't want to go back to my old one because it felt so heavy, thats when I looked up gels and serums to replace it. I went through many and just last month I found MAC charged water gel moisturizer. this was my miracle product, it moisturizes but doesn't clog my pores. So I had the bumps and majority of the clogged pores down, then I moved onto the scars and remaining clogged pores. I replaced my toner with witch hazel and it worked great but did nothing for the scars. So I tried bubzbeautys apple cider vinegar toner and my face has cleared up amazingly. I have combination skin with oiliness around my nose and  chin.
 So overall I use:
random cleanser (really doesn't matter to me)
DIY apple cider vinegar toner (see apple cider vinegar post made previously)
MAC charged water gel moisturizer
Clean and clear acne cream with 10% benzoyl peroxide

Friday, March 9, 2012

The Big Buzz: BB Creams

So the hot new thing in the States and many other western countries is BB creams. The ones made by non Korean brands are advertised to be the holy grail of foundations, that's not true. They are basically tinted moisturizer but amped up slightly to provide slightly more coverage. Some are over priced and I don't see how it's worth it.
I've been using BB creams for over a year now, but overall I love the Korean brands the most, it just seems like they have more research and years behind them because they have been popular over in eastern countries for years. It seems like the buzz has come over to the states and everyone wanted to be apart of the craze so they took something and slapped a label on it. By no means am I putting those companies down. Some of the companies make good make up and that's what they are good at, but when you take something that's worth $15 in another brand and hike up the price to $40 for the same thing with just a couple more shades I think that's unfair.
Overall I love BB creams because they do a lot to help your skin while still covering it. It has become a miracle product for me because foundation has always been too heavy on my skin and to flaky. Its a happy medium between coverage and weightlessness.
So if you want to try a BB cream and have lighter skin go for the Korean brands like skin 79, etude house, lioele etc. but you are a darker shade I would go with the garnier BB cream. Its the most comparable in price and has a darker shade that will fit darker skin tones. If you don't like foundations as much as I do and a darker than many of the shades Korean brands offer and want to try the smashbox brand go for it. I may be a little bitter about it but I think there should be more shades available for the same price that I pay.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Apple cider vinegar/ green tea toner experience and overview

So I do watch a lot of videos and one video by the amazing bubzbeauty made a video about this DIY toner. So basically her recipe for the toner was one part apple cider vinegar to two parts green tea. I tried it and I thought I was having allergic reaction. I called my friend who had already tried it, screaming in the phone I said "did your face turn red and get hot from the toner you made". She told me while laughing at my misery that it did not that and that she basically thought I was a ditz. Well I found out from this experience that I will from now on water down things like VINEGAR to about one part vinegar to three parts green tea. My skin is sensitive but not to the point where I would know unless I did something like this to it. Now I use it everyday without any side effects and actually have had amazing results, just as she said my scars are disappearing and my overall skin feels better. I haven't had any pimples since I started this about two weeks ago which amazes me immensely.
So I would recommend this, but just alter the recipe to your skin type and test it out on a small part of  your face before adding it to any face routine. If you have dryer skin I'd recommend adding olive oil to this as it can be drying. It lasts up to two weeks in the fridge.

You'll need:
Glass jar of some sort
Organic apple cider vinegar
Green tea (organic tea bags recommended)
Olive oil (optional)

Do a ratio of 2-5tbs green tea to 1tbs apple cider vinegar depending on skin sensitivity

Review: MAC mineral charged water gel moisturizer

So I've been using this moisturizer for a little over a month now and have only good things to skin about it. It has even out my skin I no longer have dry patches and there are no white heads in site. After putting this in my daily face routine has cleared up and become brighter. It's light weight on the skin and just absorbs into the skin so well. The product itself is flawless for my skin type (combination). And you only need about a pea sized amount. but there are some downfalls, it comes in a tub form so its not very sanitary. It's a bit pricey if your a college student like me. $40 for a moisturizer is a little much, but I love it enough to buy it again, so that's saying a lot considering. So overall if your are suffering from dry patches and if heavier moisturizers clog your pores, I'd recommend this highly. Go to  mac counter and ask about this product. 

Monday, March 5, 2012

Quick Tip: Stop Scarring from Pimples with this Easy Trick

materials you'll need:
three q-tips
sewing needle or pin
rubbing alcohol
spot band aids (small circular kind)
triple antibiotic cream

So, everyone knows you're not supposed to pop your pimples or it'll scar. Well I'm here to tell you the opposite. I always end up with pimples that could ruin my day. Don't touch it right yet! Just cover it up for the day, this way your not trying to cover up a newly formed scar (which always ends in disaster). When night falls take your makeup off, don't clean your face just yet. To prevent infection start off by rubbing some alcohol on the pimple. Now comes the gore. take a pin and poke the pimple to make a small hole(this way you don't end up having a huge cut on your face). Next take two q-tips on each side of the pimple and press together until you see blood. This means all the dirt has been removed. Now just to be safe take the rubbing alcohol and do the same as before and rub it on the spot. Now you can clean your face. Then with another q-tip place about half a pea size on the spot and cover with a band aid. Resume with face routine. Then go to sleep.

When you wake up remove the band aid and the pimple should be nearly gone. There will be some redness and in the next few days maybe some peeling, but keep putting the antibiotic cream and band aid on every night until the pimple is completely gone. This will insure that the pimple leaves no trace!

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Decisions, Decisions

So recently I've began to think about my future again. I honestly know what I love and want to do, but I'm the type of person who likes to keep things safe. I hate that about myself and worry way too much when I think things may not go so smoothly. I began studying to become a nurse anesthetist because it just seemed natural to  me. My whole family is in the medical field and I know more about medicine than any other profession. It was easy for me. One night deep in thought I began to put things together and found out what I truly wanted to do and become, an astronomer. That was a year ago and I'm still studying nursing due to the instability in the space science field. I thought I could just continue with nursing and graduate with a bachelors degree in a little over two more years. I would just go back and study what I love when I know I have a stable career to fall back on. I'm not too sure I'll go back and study though. I just don't want to regret it later on in life.

Honestly I don't know what to do.


Sunday, February 12, 2012

Just Started Using MAC Charged Water Moisture Gel

So I have combination skin with more oil production in my T-zone, with mild surface dryness. I was using two different moisturizers (olay moisturizer in the original formula on my cheeks and neutrogena oil- free moisture for sensitive skin on my T-zone). This turned out to by unsuccessful because my nose unlike the rest of my face started breaking out due to pure dryness. This then led to other random parts of my face forming dry patches for whatever reason and I began exfoliating almost three times (about two to three depending) a week to remove the dry patches and I become desperate because it was painful. I never experienced dryness like it before and so I became frustrated. While on the other hand the more oily parts become clogged and started to form white heads. So I'm trying a new moisturizer as you can tell from the title is MACs charged water moisture gel. It was recommended to me by a Makeup Artist at MAC who has a similar and it has been working great so far. I'll go more in depth with the product and do a review in a few weeks to tell you how its going. Fingers crossed everything goes well!

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

The Person Who Inspired Me

So starting this blog off with the subject of the blogger Wendy Cheng AKA Xiaxue who pretty much inspired me to start this up. She's brutally honest but in a hilarious way. When I first started watching her I thought she was going to be another one of the overly vain and snotty people due to her appearance. The vain part was correct (but who wouldn't be with her looks!) but she is completely down to earth. She has that "I could give a shit" attitude, yet you wouldn't expect it by her cutesy appearance. 


She basically changed my perspective of many things like plastic surgery (the first video I found of hers was of just that). She turns the concept of plastic surgery from people who are trying to look perfect to people who just want to be a little happier with their appearance. Just like how make up enhances features so does plastic surgery. Though I don't know if I'll ever go under the knife myself I have thought about it a little bit more for in the future.


A lot of my posts will have a lot in common with her blog style. Like things to do with hair and fashion because that is what I am truly interested in. Some will be about life and my pets but you'll just have to wait and see all that now want you! 


Link to her blog:
http://xiaxue.blogspot.com/