Lip Color that will last and last!!!

I don't know about you but I need my lip color to last through out the day. I don't usually have time to be touching up my lip color every twenty minutes (haha). So I will share with you my steps to long lasting lip color.

First:

#2: I rub concealer onto my lips and slightly around the edges too (this helps to highlight around the mouth and creates the illusion on fuller lips).

#3&4: Line your lips with whichever lip liner closest to your lip stick color of choice and shade in the outer corners.

#5: Blend in liner with your fingers or lip brush, moving towards the center of the lip.

#6: What it should look like after step 5.

#7-9: Apply your lip color in the center of the lips and blend out with brush or fingers. Rub lips together to further blend.

#10-12: Apply a satin or shimmer eyeshadow to the center of the lips (try to pick a color that is a shade or so lighter than your choice of lip color). This also adds extra dimension to the lips and mattifies just enough to really give you the staying power you want out of your lip colors with out sacrificing the sheen of a lip gloss that makes the lips look fuller. Then blend with fingers and rub lips together again to get a flawless blend (just like you would with and eyeshadow to get that nice gradient effect).

 On a really busy day at work my lip color will last me around 4-5 hours before it even starts to FADE (and that's while I'm constantly talking and applying makeup on others haha). On a slow day I'll get well over an eight hour shift out of my lip color.

How to fill in your brows and create a more defined shape

Brows are, in my opinion, the most unrated feature on the face and most often the most unattended also. The brows frame the face and can change your entire look.

The picture above shows step by step how I shape and fill in my brows. This is a step in my daily routine I WILL NOT leave the house without doing.

#1-4: Show the points that frame your eyebrow shape and how I mark them (after a time or two you eventually don't have to make those marks anymore).

#5: Play connect the dots/lines (haha) on the top and bottom of the brow. Then fill in between.

#6: Take a Q-Tip and erase where your initial "marks" go beyond the shape of your brows.

#8: Run through your brows with a spooly to blend the product.

#9: Just shows the dramatic difference between the shaped and filled brow and the unattended brow.

Another quick tip: For a more rounded face, a more angular arch is flattering. For a more angular face (those of you blessed with those gorgeous jaw lines) a more rounded arch is flattering.

My favorite types of product to use to fill in are the wax/shadow duos. Benefit makes an excellent one called Brow Zings and those babies last for an upwards of a year or two and cost $30. NYX also makes one for a whopping $5 that I love as much as the Brow Zings but they definitely don't last nearly as long (the wax runs out faster than anything) but its a great starter product!!!

FAVORITE Product of the month: Urban Decay De-Slick in a Tube

SAY GOODBYE TO OILY SKIN RUINING YOUR MAKEUP!!!

I can not even begin to explain the excitement I experienced when I was introduced to this product (and I continue to be its advocate to oily people alike!). It was love at first description/touch. My initial thought was it had to be too good to be true. The Urban Decay rep. told me this product would change my life (which it has haha)and she thought me how to apply it. The next day I RAN back to the store and HAD TO HAVE IT, especially after seeing how it wore on my skin the first day.   

I have had the wonderful pleasure in life of having super oily skin *insert sarcasm*. So for years I have battled plenty of things that come with that lovely skin type =). Primer helped to a certain extent but with my new holy grail product paired with primer over top, I honest to goodness do not have to battle my extreme oiliness ruining my makeup!! Most days I do not, I repeat DO NOT, even have to touch up my makeup.

How you use it:

My recommendation is to use it prior to primer. Squeeze out a generous pea sized amount onto the tip of a finger. Rub between fingers to warm the product up a bit, then place onto the oiliest areas first and then quickly gently blend out. It dries very quickly and you can immediately feel the tightness from absorbing the oil that you can't even see YET. 

I then follow up with a primer because this product isn't necessarily meant to "prime" the skin the way traditional primers do. Also because my personal preference is to have that silky finish under my makeup, so it all depends on your needs to prep your face prior to makeup.

This can also be used as a touch up and can get applied over top of makeup but I say proceed with high caution using this product for those purposes because if too much is used over top it will leave a chalky looking area and tends to flake off where it was applied (not a cute look on anyone right?) So all and all it is best used under your makeup and I have not experienced ANYTHING negative about this product at all when used this way =).


Needless to say I will be repurchasing this product until the day I graduate this world we live in =)

REVIEW: Philosophy The Oxygen Peel

What does it do?

It immediately brightens, detoxifies, unclogs pores and it sanitizes the skin, which is great for those of us that are oily and acne prone.  It also evens out skin tone (even after just ONE application).

How do you use it?

They say to use a whole capsule and pour it into the plastic container (provided), which is to be filled half way with water BUT (INSIDER SECRET!!) You can double your treatments by splitting the capsules and using half the capsule and water (which is more than enough to cover the average face). So back to instructions... 1/4 of the container filled with water and half the capsule, shake it up and wait 1 min for the gel to form. Then apply the "slime" to your face (DO NOT rub it until it absorbs into the skin). You need to have a thick layer on top of the skin, then add the oxygen foam in the step 2 container. Massage into the skin for about 10 seconds in each zone (you will see it foaming up on the skin) . Wait three minutes and then use the spatula to remove the foam from the top of the skin (also known as dermaplaning), wash off the residue with a clean wash cloth and you're done =).

It is recommended that if your skin is sensitized to skip the spatula and just rinse the foam off so the exfoliation of the dermaplaning doesn't irritate the skin. 

How Often to use it:

Recommended use is once a week. For more congested skin or those seeking for clarity or brightness do the "three day boot camp" at first or whenever that extra "umph" is needed. 

My Opinion and personal results:

I must say I was super excited to try this product out for the claim it unclogs and clarifies skin. I must say I saw an improvement but not what I hoping for BUT I ended up with a result much better. The brightening of this product practically ELIMINATED the hyper pigmentation I had from the acne I had in High School. This alone made me so happy!! It also made my skin so supple and soft I don't even know the last time it felt that way. I also had a stubborn blemish at the time and it was gone after the three day "boot camp" of the oxygen peel. The fact that I can either use one capsule (you receive ten in the kit)  or half a capsule so get the most bang for my buck is also a HUGE plus. Even if you use one capsule a treatment it make it $5 a treatment  or for half a capsule which then makes it $2.50 a treatment!!! You CANT beat that =)

Where you can find it:
At your nearest Ulta or Sephora. Also on Philosophy.com