New Ulta Pigments!!! (Testing and Tutorial)

Hello, Glam-Fam!

Welcome back to my blog! The past couple of days have been very busy. So my apologies for the slight decrease in posting. I should have everything running at normal speed soon. With that said, I would like to introduce to you to my newest video! I was in Ulta today and noticed that they had several Ulta Brand items on clearance. I had bought one, single eye shadow from them and really liked it. Upon investigation, I found that they had several eye shadows on sale. I bought 5 pigments, 2 pressed shadows, and 5 glosses. If you follow me on snapchat you saw my "unboxing" and swatches of all my new products! I have been beyond surprised at how amazing these products are. If you want bright and vivid color, their pigments are for you. The pressed shadows are also very pigmented and buttery. The glosses have a formula that is really thick but not sticky. Overall, I would give my experience with these products a 4 out of 5 stars. 

So here is the video!!! 

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How To Wake Up ***Flawless

Hello, Glam Fam!

Welcome back to Glamazing Tutorials! I would like to share my skincare routine with you today. So many people struggle with skin problems or finding a foundation they like. Good skin begins with good skincare. While this is a less glamorous post than usual, it certainly is not any less important. Skincare is not entirely just washing your face.

1. Diet 

You want to make sure to limit your sugar, fat, and diary intake and monitor your water consumption. Sugar, fat, and diary all are things that can lower your immune system. Your skin freaks out when you immune system is compromised in someway. I have seen this chart floating around social media sites that attempts to explain why you break out in certain areas. While I am not entirely convinced of the accuracy of this diagram, I do agree that our face is an indicator of the condition of our body.  I find that when I am eating more raw veggies and fruits and drinking plenty of water my body is doing better and my skin is happier too.

2. Sleep

Get your beauty rest. Sleep prevents dark circles, early aging, and break outs. Being more rested prevents stress hormones from being emitted that can cause you to break out or have bumpy texture to your skin. Sleeping seven and a half hours is the minimum requirement of sleep to obtain a healthy glow. 

3. Cleanser

Wash your face with a cleanser that is specific to your skin and what your face needs. If you are unsure, talk to your dermatologist. In the tenth grade, my skin started to break out due to a lack of sleep and consistency in my skincare routine. I have found that I stay motivated to wash my face if I have products that work. Some of my favorite cleansers are the CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser, the Philosophy Purity One-Step Made Simple Facial Cleanser, and the Clarisonic Refreshing Gel Cleanser. These cleansers are designed to completely remove oils, dirt, and makeup in one use. When it comes to really getting your face clean, these are the only products that I trust. If you have more sensitive skin, I would suggest trying the Philosophy cleanser. It has a very gentle formula but is still effective. 

4. Toner

Toner is important. While a lot of people skip this step, I think is definitely one of the most import. After washing your face, your pores are open. A toner will be cleansing and hydrating. Squirting some toner on a cotton ball and swabbing your whole face and throat can make a huge difference in your complexion. It is the first thing your clean face absorbs after you wash it. With that said, this is a step where I would suggest spending a little more money. The more expensive toners are better for your skin, because their brands are typically more conscious of their ingredients. Right now my all time favorite toner is the SkinMedica Rejuvenative Toner($38). I have really noticed a difference in my skin since I have started using this product. They have a couple of different varieties of this toner, but this is my favorite one so far. 

5. Moisturizer

I feel like this goes without saying, but a lot of people skip this step. When I match people for foundation, that is the first thing I ask,"Have you moisturized?'. Most of the time my customers have not used a moisturizer of any kind and do not normally use one. This makes me CRINGE! Your skin will age so much faster if you do not moisturize. You will have so many more break outs. You will be dry and flaky. You will never find a foundation you like. I am telling you now; you have to use a moisturizer. Some of my favorites are the Clinique Dramatically Different moisturizer(oil-free), the CeraVe Daily moisturizer (A.M. and P.M.), and the Skyn Iceland Daily Cooling lotion. These formulas are all thinner and more serum-like in formula, but they pack in the nutrients and moisture that your skin needs through out the day.

Concluding Tips

These things need to be a daily habit for your mornings and evenings. Be sure to be consistent. Changes in routine can make your face freak out. Go to bed early, pack a lunch the night before, get up on time to wash your face. It does most definitely takes effort. My other tips are these: try a Clarisonic and try prescription topical gels. If you are acne prone and the above steps are not working to clear up you face, those two items may really help. But these, in my opinion, are luxury items that are only worth it if normal the skin regimen is not working for you. Good luck. #Glow  

My Go-To Look (Tutorial)

Hello, Glam-Fam!

I have a simple and natural go-to look that I would like to share with you today! It involves a natural, warm-tone eye with a gently contoured face. In this video, I used the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette and the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette. For contouring I used the NYX contour palette. I hope you enjoy this look. 

Be sure to check out my Youtube channel! Like and subscribe! Also leave a comment is you would like to see more video tutorials.

Halo Eye Tutorial

Hello again, my lovely readers!

After reading my title, I am sure all of you are humming Beyonce's "Halo". If you were not a second ago, you are now. The halo eye is a new trend that a lot of beauty gurus are doing. The concept is creating a gradient of colors that draws more attention to the center of the eye, which brings out the colors in the iris.

Blank Canvas

Like any other makeup look, you want to start with a blank canvas. I usually start with my Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion(Original). Next I set that with a yellow tone shadow. The yellows help to cancel out veins and purple tones on my lid. For this look, I used the shade Foxy from my Urban Decay Naked 2 palette. This is one of my favorite eyeshadows to start with because it is totally matte but not chalky or dry.

Transition Shade

Next you will want to go in with a transition shade. Right now my favorite palette for warm, crease colors is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette. For the halo eye, you want to use a variety of transition shades to create that glowing halo effect. I would suggest starting with a warm brown or burnt orange color. Because I wanted to use more pink colors, I went in to the crease with the color Raw Sienna. Start on the outside of the eye and blend in a windshield-wiper motion. Move the brush back and forth then up toward the brow bone. This makes a soft shadow.

Beginning the Halo

In the same way that you applied the transition shade you are going to begin to create the halo effect. I used the shade Love Letter from the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette. This pink is lighter than the color that I used on my lid, which makes it have more dimension.



Use the same windshield-wiper motion to apply this color. But instead of taking the color all the way into the inner corner, stop the color above the pupil. Focusing this bright pink on the outside will prevent clouding the inner corner. You want to focus light on the center of the face. If you cloud the center of the face, your makeup can look sloppy, dirty, and dull.

The Weird Part

For the halo eye, you are going to be breaking the rules a little bit. Instead of focusing the darker colors on the crease and cutters corner, you are going to be shading and contouring both corners of the eye. This will make the center of the lid appear more prominent and, simultaneously, the colors in the center of the eye. I used a dense-bristle eyeshadow brush. This really packs on the darker shadows. I took a small amount of Antique Bronze(Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette) and packed it onto the inner and outer corners of my lid. Stop the shadow where it meets at the transition shade. 

Bring on the Color

Here is where the fun begins. At this point you will start to really see how the halo effect is going to look. On the inner edges of the Antique Bronze, apply the color Venetian Red(Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette). This color is a little darker than the pink transition shade that I used in the crease. By having the dark brown on the outside but the yellow shade near the middle, you will create an ombre effect from the outside to the inside of the eyelid. Make sure not to blend this out just yet. You want that pigment to settle first. 

Let There Be Light

Your journey is almost through! Now you are going to bless your lids with some gorgeous highlighting shades. Start with a golden tone shade, Primavera(Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette). Pack that shadow on with your finger or a dense flat brush. This is going to give you that angelic glow that deemed this eye look the halo effect. 

...Let There Be MORE Light

Next go in with the shade Verve(Urban Decay Naked 2 palette). Pack this onto the center of the highlighted zone. This cool tone shadow is going to really going to illuminate the eye.

Last But Not Least

Highlight from the inner corner up to the brow bone with the color Vermeer(Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette). This keeps the darker colors on the lid from muddying the center of the face. This keeps the light in the corner to open up the eyes and keep the iris' coloring bright and vibrant.

Now Blend It Out!

Take a large synthetic-bristle brush and blend from the inside to the outside in windshield wiper motions. This will give you a seamless finish. After applying eyeliner and (several) coats of mascara, use a setting spray to hold on the glitter shadows. I then used a matching pink lippie from BareMinerals.

Ipsy: Friend or foe?(July Edition)

Hello, Beauty Friends!  

Today we are going to talk about the Ipsy makeup testing website. For $10 a month you can get 5 different makeup, skincare, and haircare products. But is it worth all the hype?

This month I received a BareMinerals Liquid Lipstick in the color Swag, a Palmetto Derma Rejuvenating Antioxidant Mask, a theBalm Cosmetics in shadow in the color Matt Kumar, a Sedona Lace brush(EB-13), and a Skyn Iceland Antidote Daily Cooling Lotion.

Overall, I was really excited about these products. With the exception of one product, these were all brands I had heard of and liked or wanted to try. My encouragement to you is this: If you do not like your first bag, review what you got and your second bag will be MUCH better.

BareMinerals Liquid Lipstick(Swag)

This color is so beautiful! It is a really natural color pink. It has equal orange and pink undertones, which makes it closer to the color of your physical lips. It is a true nude. The formula is very light but really moisturizing. It does not give you raisin lips AT ALL. The amount of moisture in this product really surprised me. I am likely going to buy more of these from my local Ulta. My only con for this lippie is that it is not long wearing. If you eat, you will have to reapply. But it is totally worth it. 3/5 stars(not long wearing).

theBalm Cosmetics(Matt Kumar)

theBalm Cosmetics are known for these matte eyeshadows. They are pigmented but easy to work with. This color is my favorite, warm, crease color. I love red eyeshadow because it counters the blues and grays in my eyelids that I get from not sleeping well. It makes the colors in my eyes pop. I was very excited to be receiving this eyeshadow! 5/5 stars.

Palmetto Derma Rejuvenating Antioxidant Mask

I have to start by stating that this is not a cheap product. On the Palmetto Derma website, it is listed as costing $64!(Yikes!) I definitely would never have known that from just looking at the tube. Basically, this works about like any other mask out there. Palmetto Derma suggests using this once a week to see results. This is a 30 minute long process, after which you are supposed to use your cleanser and toner. Would I buy this for myself? Absolutely not! $64 is new foundation and lipstick. I have masks I like better for $4. But it was definitely a neat experience, and I enjoyed getting to try such an expensive product. 3/5 stars.

Sedona Lace(EB13)

First, I have to mention that I love that it is a pink brush! Adorable. Second, I am so glad that it has synthetic bristles. They are so much softer and denser. If the brush is super dense, it will blend out powders so much easier. This brush is just that: soft and dense. I did not hope for density is a brush that cost less than $10, but Sedona Lace delivered. It does a good job of picking up product and then blending it right out. If I were to say something bad about the brush, it would honestly be that I wished the handle was made of plastic and not wood. I do not just love the way that feels. It makes the brush feel heavier, which I do not prefer for eyes. But that is just me being picky. 4/5 stars. 

 Skyn Iceland Antidote Cooling Daily Lotion

Skyn Iceland is a really popular skincare brand. I have heard nothing but rave reviews about this company so far. I had been wanting to try some of their products. Why not start with the basics? A daily use lotion is an awesome product to try from a skincare line. This one I particularly liked. It is peppermint scented, which matches its cooling formula. The consistency is pretty thin, so this might be great for calming your face down after a wash before you apply your primer and foundation. The Skyn lotion left my face feeling smooth and moisturized. It did have a small trace of tackiness but not enough to be a problem, and the scent lasted a while. Overall, I give this a 4/5 stars.

Overall...

 I really enjoyed my Ipsy experience this month. I would definitely encourage anyone interested to give it a go. Just keep an open mind and be prepared to maybe not like your first bag. If you are wanting this to be a way to stock your makeup kit, this is not it. But if you are wanting to try new products to then buy the full size, this is a great and inexpensive way to do that. 

Concealer: How do I use this and why?

Hello, Fellow Beauty Lovers!

Today we will be discussing a product that I think a lot of people are conflicted about: concealer. For a lot of people, concealer is a spot treatment that they us when they have blemish that they would like to hide. That's great! Conceal them pimples, sister! However, concealer can do so much more than that. Here's a list of some things I think concealer is great for:
1. Dark Circles
Do you sometimes feel like you look tired or you naturally have darker under eye? Concealer can fix that in the swipe of a wand and the pat of beauty blender.
2. Reducing Signs of Aging
A lot of women tell me, "Oh, no! Concealer makes me look so much older. It emphasizes my wrinkles." If your concealer is settling into you wrinkles and fine lines, honey, come see me. You are using a concealer that is not right for you. Concealer is created to cover up the wrinkles you might have around your eyes and mouth. The older you get the less heavy you want your foundations and concealers to be, so that you are not having to worry about product settling and creasing.
3. Contouring and highlighting and strobing! Oh my!
I know what you are probably thinking, "I can't contour! I would never wear that much makeup during the day!" But you can. If you feel overwhelmed by the concept of contouring, don't be. It is as simple as 1, 2, 3! 1 being bronzer. 2 being blush. and 3 being highlight and concealer. The formula of most concealers is meant to brighten and moisturize the skin to produce a healthy and youthful glow.

Let's start off by narrowing down our selection of products to use before we dive in on how to use them. My favorite concealers are:

 Maybeline Instant Age Rewind Concealer
The formula of this concealer is very light weight and easy to blend with medium/full coverage. I use this concealer regularly because it costs around $8. I will say that it lacks the creaminess that some of the other concealers have, but it most definitely has the best drugstore formula.

Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer
This is a beautiful product. everything from the packaging to the formula is amazing. I love a Doe-foot applicator for concealer; it can make application of the product simpler and more control able. This concealer is medium coverage and light weight but very creamy. The consistence is so soft and nourishing. It blends out well but dries down very quickly. So I would work area by area with this because you will want to blend it out before it dries down.


It Cosmetics Eye-lift In A Tube
This concealer has the same creamy formula as the Urban Decay concealer; however, in my experience, there is less of an opaqueness to it. I like this product for those who have more prominent drinking and aging. It also has a separate end with a brightening cream that will add a youthful glow to the under-eye area without emphasizing aging.

How to Apply Concealer:

Before we get started, I would like to say that I am not a makeup-god. I do not have the perfect formula for everyone. However, these techniques are tested and have not failed me on a single person. Feel free to modify this for what is best for your skin.

STEP 1: First apply your moisturizer, primer, and foundation. Avoid a powder foundation; liquids CANNOT go on top of powder. Next apply concealer by your nose, under your eyes, down the bridge of your nose, and on your chin. This is to cover discoloration my like redness and dark circles.

STEP 2: Take a damp beauty blender and blend out concealer with a tapping motion. Some people call this beating your face. You NEVER want to wipe with a beauty sponge; avoid any kind of pulling on the skin (especially under eye) when at all possible.




STEP 3: Using you damp beauty blender, liberally apply a translucent powder on the areas that you concealed. It should be as visibly powdered as the picture on the left. This technique is called baking.



STEP 4: Wait 5-10 minutes before removing bake. This allows the makeup to actually cook and settle. Baking helps to prevent creasing and product coming off. I normally do my eyeshadow while I wait for my face to finish baking. The powder allows for eyeshadow fall out to be easily  swept away.


STEP 5: Dip your fluffy brush into your powder that you use all over your face. I use a loose powder with a pigment from Clinique. With you powder covered brush, powder the rest of your face. While you are powdering, swipe at the bake until it is removed to your satisfaction.


STEP 6: Admire your work! And do not forget to set your finished look with a setting spray.

Here is my finished look!