Face of the Day #2 - Channeling Vanessa Hudgens

I get told I resemble Vanessa Hudgens so I thought I would recreate a look that she often wears.
When Vanessa wears a smokey eye look like this, it always looks very soft and warm with purples, greys, silver and black. I kept the eyes very blended out with no harsh eyeliner and also tried to bring out my cheeks to look as amazing as hers. Product List:
-NARS Radiant Tinted Moisturizer
-Maybelline Fit Me Concealer
-MAC Careblend Pressed Powder in Dark
-TheBalm Mary Loumanizer
-Maybelline Color Tatto in Bad to the Bronze
-Makeup Geek Eyeshadows in Peach Smoothie, Creme Brûlée & Corrupt
-Wet n Wild Eyeshadow Palettes in Petal Pusher & Comfort Zone
-Milani Liquid-Like Eye Liner Pencil in Black
-Stila Eyeshadow in Kitten
-MAC Shroom Eyeshadow
-L'oreal Butterfly Mascara
-Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Ebony

You can view more photos of this look here

Achieving Glowing Dewy Skin

So lately, (actually for as long as I can remember) I've always liked my foundation/skin to look fresh and glowing especially during the summer. I've never been a fan of the matte look. Don't get me wrong, some people can totally rock it but it's just not what I prefer. For me and my skin it is quite easy to achieve this look since I am already a bit oily. There are some essential products that I use to achieve this look and these include:

1. Moisturizer or Facial Oil

2. Any foundation that gives a dewy or satin finish

3. Highlighter

4. A Matte Bronzer

5. Facial Spray

The goal is to not look like you just dipped your face in grease but instead to highlight the high points of your face especially your cheeks. I enjoy this look because it honestly looks effortless and makes me look fresh, glowing and awake. 

The specific products I've been using to get this look are

- 100% Jojoba Oil

- Nars Radiant Tinted Moisturizer

- MAC Soft & Gentle (really any highlighter will work just pick any one you like!)

- MAC Careblend Pressed Powder in Dark (used as bronzer)

- Mario Badescu Facial Spray

To start, I prep my skin and moisturize my face with about 2 or 3 drops of Jojoba oil which leaves my skin with a slight glow. Sometimes, but not always, I will apply L'Oreal Magic Lumi primer to the high points of my cheeks just to add even more glow. I then apply my foundation with the Sigma F80 Flattop Kabuki brush. Next I bronze or contour my cheeks, sides of my forehead, under the jaw, and sides of my nose. I then apply the highlighter at the top of my cheek bones and slightly connect it the highlight on my brow bone. I try not to go too overboard with the highlight even though it is so easy to do.

And after all that here is the finished result…..

Let's Talk About it - Eyebrow Inspiration

I have a confession to make. I haven't had my eyebrows groomed in months. Now as someone who used to get their eyebrows threaded/waxed religiously, this goes against everything I stand for. As it is my first year in college, my disposable income unfortunately isn't as readily available for use as it once was in high school (Ahhh the joys of being a broke ass college student). However, I am embracing this new bushy, unkept eyebrow look that I have been rocking for the past couple of months. Fortunately for me, and my empty wallet, big, bold eyebrows are on trend!
Unless you have been living under a rock for the past couple months, then you have probably caught a glimpse of Cara Delevinge's big ass eyebrows. Though I do think her brows are beautiful, I believe that there are more eyebrows that deserve some recognition and appreciation as well!

Some of my absolute favorite pairs of eyebrows belong to Lily Collins, Camilla Belle, and Lily Aldridge  (pictured below)

An honorable mention goes to Emma Stone's thicker eyebrows at the 2014 Met Gala

To me, all these women have the best eyebrows in the game and have inspired me to keep fighting through the pain as I continue on the journey that is growing my brows out. For the past couple years I have been all about the sharp eyebrow look with clean lines. Once I stopped getting them waxed/threaded and let them grow out, I began to love their natural looking untidiness. I do tweeze stray hairs here and there but for the most part I leave them alone. Also, I do still fill them in just a bit in any sparse areas using the Anastasia Brow Wiz in the color Ebony. I honestly don't know when I'll go in to get them groomed again but until then, I'm going to let them grow to their full potential so whatever esthetician that has the pleasure of waxing them will have a lot to work with. Your eyebrows can really help frame your face and when done right can make all the difference. Whether you like to keep your eyebrows thin & tidy or sharp & bold, it is truly about what you're comfortable with!

Monthly Favorites - April 2014

I had a short and sweet list of favorites for last month. However, some of the products that I am featuring have become some of my Holy Grail products that I have fallen absolutely in love with. I definitely splurged on myself this month but with this indulgence I am now able to bring some acknowledgement to some products that I believe deserve some recognition.

Nars Radiant Tinted Moisturizer 

I'm not going to go into too much detail about this stuff because I love it so damn much that I'm going to do an entirely separate blogpost pretty much professing my love for it. Anyway, it's a lovely product that gives my skin the most beautiful and natural glow. Honestly, I have nothing bad to say about this base. I have been searching for a foundation that I could wear everyday if I wanted to, that looks natural and enhances my skin rather than completely covers it up. I could go on and on about it but we'll save the specifics for my later post.

MAC Studio Careblend Pressed Powder in Dark 

I was in the market for a new bronzer after I hit pan with my Benefit Hoola Bronzer. I heard about this powder from watching, the always lovely, Jacyln Hill on YouTube, who uses it as a bronzer. Now, it's not supposed to be used as a bronzer but come on, are there really any actual rules in makeup application? When Jacyln talked about this she discussed how it actually "looks like skin" when applied and I can completely vouche for her. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone with pale skin because it is a tad bit on the orange side butttttt to each their own! 

L'oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara

This mascara has become one of, if not my absolute, favorite mascaras of all time. The shape of the wand really does help in flaring out the ends of my lashes and gives them nice fluttery look(oooohhhh that's why it's named after a butterfly *light bulb*). It did dry up quicker than I had hoped but that actually may be because I have been using it so much!

C.O. Bigelow Rose Salve

This is an oldie but a goodie. I used to own this salve a couple years ago but I left in the car on a summer day and it melted into a complete hot mess :( I finally got my hands on it again and I couldn't be more in love with it all over again. It doesn't give my lips any color but keeps them nice and moisturized while adding a nice shine and smells like heaven. 

Lavanila Laboratories The Healthy Deodorant

I bought this deodorant on a whim while at Sephora. It is a bit more than I would normally spend on deodorant but the hippy inside of me saw the words  "100% Natural" and "No Parabens" on the packaging and I was totally sold. It smells very fresh and does the job. 

Bath & Body Works Body Lotion in Coconut Lime Breeze

This is also a long time love of mine that has just recently found it's way back into my life. You know how smells can be connected to emotions and memories, well this makes me feel nothing but happy probably because it smells like straight up summer. That's the best way I could describe it. It's obviously a fruity scent but also smells very fresh and clean at the same time to me. I shouldn't have been so cheap and only bought the mini version because I can sure as hell bet this little guy won't last very long and will be all used up with in the next couple weeks!

FOTD - Face of the Day #1

For my first post, I wanted to get right into the good stuff and show my simple, everyday look. It's easy to do and doesn't take me boat loads of time. I also tried to use a combination of my favorite/most used products at the moment.

Like everyone should, I began with
a clean, moisturized and bare face.
Here's the before:

Products Used:
Face
Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer
Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer - St. Moritz
Maybelline Fit Me Concealer - medium
BareMinerals Well Rested
MAC Studio Careblend Pressed Power - dark
TheBalm Mary-Loumanizer
Eyes
Makeup Geek Eye Shadows
-Peach Smoothie
-Beaches & Creme

-Frappe
-Corrupt
Stila Eyeshadow - Kitten
NYC Liquid Eyeliner
L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz - ebony
Lips
C.O. Bigelow Rosebud Salve

Aaaannnnd the finished product….
(A little background info about my skin type/makeup preferences) For my base I prefer to use something that enhances my complexion rather than completely masks it. With that being said, I tend to stick with tinted moisturizers, BB cremes, or sheer coverage foundations. If you were to look through my makeup collection you'd typically find products that give me a dewy or natural finish. I would say my skin is a little oily but has become increasingly on the normal side for reasons unknown to me (I ain't complaining!). I do like to let my real skin show. As you can see, my freckles and minor blemishes have gotten the OK from me to show themselves. I am letting my eyebrows grow out at the moment so don't mind their disheveled upkeep….though I have been kinda diggin' the messy, thick eyebrow trend to be honest.

xo Brittany