Bold Blushing Beauties are the Trend...Do You Dare?

Happy Wednesday Fabulous Readers!

Jessica here and this week we have been reviewing blushes. Now according to my #1 go-to magazine, People Style Watch, a top fall trend is rosy cheeks!


I have always worn blush so it's a daily process for me and very normal for my makeup routine. It actually surprises me when I see people without it! Pink cheeks just brightens up your whole look and compliments skin tone, when used the right way with the right color of course. There is a right and wrong way to wear blush and it can be very hard to tell sometimes if you have too much on or not. Trust me I have made this mistake and some of my friends are not shy to let me know! Since I don't have a makeup artist everyday I have had some trial and error days... don't worry your not alone...I mean how else are we suppose to know what works best if we don't experiment?

My latest, bold experimentation with blush has been my purchase of the e.l.f. (eyes lips face) brand. First of all this brand has some amazing products that are VERY inexpensive. I know if I want to do any testing out of colors I will turn to this brand...some things are as low as $1...everyone has at least $1 to spare for the sake of beauty! I signed up for their mailing list and they have some amazing bargains and give-a-ways all the time, on top of their low prices! How do  they do it?! Okay so there was this color that caught my eye in the store when I was looking for a new blush. I have been trying to copy a bunch of cool makeup looks that had these amazing sweet girl blush look to them. I have always been in love with Emily Browning's makeup in Sucker Punch so when I saw e.l.f. blush in Pink Passion I immediately thought of her (pictured below).


Emily Browning in Sucker Punch

The color is beautiful and I do love it but it is easy to get carried away with a bold color if you are use to sheer /natural colors. So I will admit I went a little blush crazy at first, but now I have worked with it and have it down to a reasonable amount :) Like I said it's cool to try things / looks out but you might want to practice first!

As for my everyday, natural blush I switch between two. One of my faves is Almay powder blush - 140 Pink. The color is very natural and easy to use without the fear of over applying. It is pretty sheer and has a build-able type of a color. In my opinion it is mistake proof. This is an easy pick for quick, simple color.

Lastly, my other fave blush pick goes to CoverGirl Classic Color blush in 540 Rose Silk. This also has a very natural look to it, but it is not as sheep as the Almay one so be careful not to over apply. But this is also a type of blush that you can build color on, so you can make it look ight and classic  or dark and dramatic. This is an easy one to transition from day to night and easy to travel with, as it comes with a handy mirror.

A few things to keep in mind when picking out colors (thanks to advice from my stylist, People Style Watch - September issue):

• Dusty Rose or Warm Pink blush  = Fair Skin
• Fuchsia or Bright Bubblegum = Olive Skin Tones
• Raspberry  = Darker Complexions
 

 

Until next week, Keep On Being Beautiful You!



Eyelashes...Real or Fake?

Happy Wednesday Fabulous Readers!

I'm Jessica and I am here this week to talk about eye lashes...real and fake! I use both, mostly just mascara up my real lashes and when I have a major event, or it's New Years or I just want to bring some more drama to my look I glue on my fake lashes :)

I'm not saying I'm an expert when it comes to the fake eyelashes, I only use them about a handful of times through out the whole year, but when I wear them I make sure I paint a nice thick top line of my liquid liner to hide any potential mistakes I might make when applying. I also touch up with the liquid eyeliner after I apply the fake lashes. I have about three different kinds, ranging from different levels of bold and dramatic.

My favorite pair is by far my Kat Von D lashes, that came in this amazing palette book called The Tattoo Chronicles Vol. 1. My best friend bought this for my a few years ago on Christmas but sadly when I was trying to look up the links and pictures to blog about it today I see that it is no longer offered in her collection. This is a shame because it was an awesome packaging of a book with a few pages of drawings and writings and then it had a variety of eye shadows, eye primers, my fave fake eyelashes and in a secret compartment under all that was a dual roller ball perfume pen! I only mention it now because it was worth giving props to a great product, but also to highlight how they should continue to sell it! I hate when companies take away products I have grown to love! GRRRR.

Kat Von D fake eyelashes

M.A.C. fake eyelashes

Anyway, another favorite in my fake eyelash collection comes from M.A.C. When us ladies at Certified Fabulous had a photo shoot for the website our awesome M.A.C. makeup artist Michael provided us with some very cool fake eyelashes. I of course choose the most dramatic ones he had with him! I am pretty sure they are the #34 lashes, dramatically long. Wispy. Features a long, winged-corner edge.

As you can see from my eyes pictured above, different fake eyelashes can give you different looks so have fun with it!

Moving on now to amplifying my real eyelashes, I ALWAYS turn to CoverGirl Lash Blast mascara! I have tried SO many and always come back to this mascara, it is truly amazing and I feel so bare without this very volumizing boost to my lashes :) It never clumps no matter how many times I sweep it through my lashes. It lasts forever and never smudges, smears or flakes off! I will never use any other, and it must always be in the shade of Very Black! Also, I wear contacts and if you do you should know to never use waterproof mascara! It doesn't break down like the regular mascara in the event some piece of it happens to get into your eye! Painful...

On days where I need to quickly make my lashes visable with a touch of color (the beach) I brush on the CoverGirl Lash Blast Length mascara. A thin, light mascara that makes lashes lean and long and is very natural looking. This one is also great for applying to the lower lashes! Again, I only buy the Very Black color.  



So enjoy your makeup, have fun with it and remember to Keep on Being Beautiful You!

What Type of Eyeliner is the Best for You?

Happy Wednesday Fabulous Readers!

Hello Everyone, Jessica here this week to talk all about eyeliners...and believe me I can tell you about them ALL! They have so many different types it can get crazy trying to decide what will be the best for the look you want to achieve. Plus, trial and error can be SO expensive. Don't worry, I have done the trial and error for you and now I will break it all down for you in this blog entry :)

 Let's start with pencil liners, specifically soft pencil liners...why would you go for the hard pencil kind now that we have so many better options out there?? The best soft pencil I have come across is from CoverGirl, the Perfect Point Plus Eyeliner.

It softly glides on with great ease and I can perfectly apply it on my water line (inner lower lid space). The other end of the stick is a angled sponge used to smudge the liner for a smoky look, plus it helps to manipulate the liner to spread evenly. I apply the pencil to my water line and go over and over it so the liner will flow perfectly below, onto my lower lid under my lashes.  You can even that our so the color (I always use black) is under the whole eye, or what I have been doing lately is making sure the darkest, thickest liner in in the outer corner or my eye and the least amount towards my inner corner of my eye. So I take the sponge part and wipe out most of the inner liner and spread it towards the outer corner of the eye. I will actually make a tutorial video on this and post it on our YouTube channel at the end of this month!

Another liner I pick up (if CoverGirl ran out of my Onyx color) is Maybelline Unstoppable, smudge-proof, stay-put, waterproof eyeliner.  I always set the liner with whatever color eyeshadow I put on for the day. Or sometimes, for fun I will use a bold color (like aqua) to line the lower lid just under the lashes.

Okay, so that is my lower eye liner use, now for the top lid. I always make sure I line the top water line as well, so it looks like I have no color gaps with the top lid liner and because it looks fuller, bolder and more dramatic. This technique is not for everyone, so if you are brave you can try it out. This, is difficult to do with pencil and liquid. The best eyeliners to do this job would be the eye cream/gel types applied with a brush...or better yet my new favorite is the Super Fat Eye Marker by NYX. It is exactly what it says, a fat marker! This is SO easy to use, I can line my upper waterline just by blinking into the marker. I LOVE IT! This is now my new eyeliner base, used to line the area I intend to use my liquid liner over. Yes, I use two liners...

So I use a liquid liner on top of my "base" line that I draw on with the NYX eye marker. This is because the look I want is dark and dramatic and liquid liner has by far given me the darkest, richest black look that I strive for. It really pops my blue eyes and I feel totally glamorous when I go out :) My bestie liquid liner? I have two, my fave low end one (when I have to pay rent but still need a new liner) is by mark (easily found at Avon), Get in Line Hook Up Liquid Waterproof Eyeliner. This comes with a fine, detailed brush that will go exactly where you place it, liquid always flows nicely down into the lashes making sure you have have that perfect line. Two major things you must know: 1) Liquid liner is VERY touchy and any shaky hand can ruin the look, that is why I always pre-line the area! 2) It NEEDS to dry! If you don't let this dry and you get it outside of the place you want it...good luck getting it off. Waterproof stays on and does not move, just as it claims. So unless you want to re-do the eye take the time to let it dry!

My high end one ("yes I have extra money let's blow it on makeup") is Kat Von D's Tattoo Liner. Her applicator is super easy to use, even without a "base line" and it is waterproof so it stays put after application. You can even use this on the body to make your own artistic temporary tattoo.

When it comes to my eyeliners I look for anything that says waterproof or long wearing/lasting. Of course it needs to be smudge-proof and basically just not move at all after I finish applying it!

Lastly, I want to talk about the new eyeliner craze of the cream/gel eyeliner pots. Again, I have a high end and low end favorite so anyone with a budget or without one can be happy. The high end pick is Tarte emphasEYES™ Amazonian clay waterproof liner. Said to be "Infused with micronized clay and reinforced by our natural waterproofing agent, these plush shadow/liners are a must for creating intense and long-lasting high definition eyes. Our high-performance natural™ Amazonian clay is nature's most perfect ingredient, lending deep color pigments while nourishing skin, reducing surface oil and improving overall texture for smooth application". I liked the way this felt and glided on, I bought a kit with a bunch of Tarte products so my mini size didn't come with a brush. I ended up using my brush that came with the low end cream/gel pot liner...

That takes me into what my fave low end gel/cream liner, which is  e.l.f. Studio Cream Eyeliner. Claims that "The cream formula creates smooth lines that are defined and precise. Smudge-proof, budge-proof and water-resistant coverage for all day wear to combat against sweat, tears or rain!".  This one actually came with a brush and the best part...it only cost $3!!! The website even gives you a how-to demo video on the product page! WOW...

This company amazes me and I love their philosophy: "We at e.l.f. believe that innovative technology, quality ingredients and superb delivery systems should not be limited to prestige retailers. Every woman should have the opportunity to participate in innovation, without sacrificing her budget. We hope you agree and invite you to experience e.l.f.’s revolutionary, value-priced cosmetics and the proven results they offer." I agree! Thank you e.l.f.!

Okay that is enough writing for me, I am very passionate about color cosmetics as you can see :) I hoped this helped and as always you can ask me anything or commnet on anything too!

Keep on Being Beautiful YOU!