Touch of Teal: Spring/Summer Eye.

This Spring & Summer season is all about bringing bold and exciting colors into your make-up style. From pinks, yellows, greens, and blues – any of these bold shades will surely brighten up your look! Sometimes bright colors can be a bit intimidating or difficult to wear. If you’re feeling a bit shy for stunning shades, try incorporating some color into your makeup! It’s a really fun and easy way to change-up your make-up style for the warm months, since if you’re anything like me you’ve been rocking fall colors up until recently.

This season’s staple is a touch of teal on the eyes. It looks great with every eye color – bringing out blues and greens and brightening up brown eyes. Here is my favorite way to wear this look.

Under the Eyes:
I rocked under the eye teal the other day and I love this look. I’m blessed to have big blue eyes and this is a way I’ve learned to rock the teal but there’s many ways for all different eye colors and shapes. The lower lash line of your eyes is a great place to start with adding some color into your eye makeup look. For this area, try using a pencil eyeliner, especially if you’re adding the color to your waterline. It’s easy to control the line and you can smoke out the color if you so desire! I would recommend Urban Decays 24/7 Glide on Pencil in “Deep End”. I followed up my liner with a vibrant teal color by NYX Cosmetics to smoke out my lower lash-line.

Layered Liners:
For those of us with a delicate hand and love the winged eye look there are awesome ways to layer your gel or liquid liners to create a more dramatic eye look. Just do your cat eyes as usual and then add the teal eyeliner right above your regular eyeliner to create extra drama. Liquid eyeliner is ideal for creating this look and I love Milani’s Ultrafine Liquid Eyeliner in “Emerald Glisten”. It’s a beautiful teal color and it’s affordable as well! I find this keeps with the classy and classic look of the solid black cat eyeliner but brings you closer with the teal.

All Over Teal:
If you’re feeling adventurous and daring then completely smoking out your eye with a blue/teal color is definitely right up your ally. One of my co-workers loves this look and I find myself complimenting her make-up every time she rocks it. You can go bolder if you wish, by adding a eye-catching teal pigment to your lids and lower lash line. Or you can keep it simple with a light teal or blue on your lids and incorporate a natural lip. The light shimmer of the blue or all around boldness will make your eyes stand out and sparkle.

Let me know which colors you like to incorporate into your style for summer.

xoxo

My Everyday Face + products

I wanted to talk simply about what I layer onto my face for my “everyday face”. For being a beauty and make-up lover, I mostly don’t wear make-up all that often. I wear the most make-up when I’m at work or out for the evening, but running errands around town I’m mostly bare face. I’ve always loved make-up and there was a time in my life I wouldn’t be caught dead without it on my face, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve noticed it’s not always needed. There are some instances though I do want to put on a little something extra, or for those days that I wake up super late.

I usually start off with my Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer or Tarte BB 12-hour Primer. Depending on my acne situation depends on which product I grab. Tarte tends to have a fuller coverage for my liking, espcially for those “times of the month.” LM just gives off a natural glow, both look very much like skin though. I have high cheekbones, which means my cheeks are normally red all the time and in the summer months I have freckles. I have no reason to cover or hide those in a full-coverage foundation so keeping it light and simple is the way to go for me.

Next, I do move onto concealer. I don’t reach for my full coverage concealers though. I will grab my NYX Dark Circle Corrector Pot or MAC Prep + Prime Highlighter. The NYX pot is an orange based product that is meant to lighten and brighten any dark circles, acting as a contrasting color. It’s super simple to swipe it onto your finger and dab it underneath your eyes, just to make you look awake. MAC’s Prep + Prime Highlighter Pen does the trick also in regards to just making yourself look awake and highlight those darker areas.

After I have my face make-up down I grab my Too Faced Better than Sex mascara and put on a heavier coat of mascara on my top and bottom lashes. This just opens up the eye area and doesn’t make everything look to matte or bland. I just wiggle the brush on my bottom and top lashes, not taking the time to curl and coat and re-curl like in my other routines.It just makes you look like you have an effortless eye look, which you do, but classy and put together. I’m usually on a time crunch anyways in my “everyday face” so a couple a slabs and I’m ready to rock.

Brows, I’m a brow girl, it’s quite rare you won’t see me with brows on. For my everyday face I usually go for something more simple but still able to create full-ness in my brows. I grab my Benefit Cosmetics Gimmie Brow for a quick and simple brow. With this product there’s not defining or sculpting, only simple brushing to create a fuller brow.

Lastly, I go to my cheeks. For an everyday look I’m not going to bronze my entire face, I’m actually not going to use bronzer at all. I’m going to grab my Becca Cosmetics Highlighter in Moonstone and whatever blush I feel like for the day. Since I’m using a highlighter I don’t wanna grab anything with a shimmer so a matte blush will do. Apply the highlighter to the top of my cheekbones and down my nose, while focusing my blush on the apples of my cheeks and up to create a sun-kissed glow. It’s a simple trick to look healthy and radient.

Lastly, my lips. Grabbing my favorite flavor in my EOS Lip Balm Ball and brushing it around your lips is just perfect. For any additional color, I may grab by Maybelline Baby Lips in a pinker color for the added color without compromising the moisture.

That’s about it! My “everyday face” isn’t anything too crazy because it doesn’t need to be. The perfect amount of enhancing just enough to not go unnoticed.

 

Contouring 101

When I started doing my own make-up I was always terrified of bronzer. I’ve seen so many horror stories and “do’s and don’ts” that I thought I was scarred forever. I decided to get over my fear of looking like I rolled in mud and go out to buy some bronzer. I started with the recommendations from my favorite YouTube guru’s and watch them apply.

I’ve been contouring my face, from extreme to subtle, for over a year now. It’s a great way to add color and depth to an otherwise “flat” one-color face.

This is my guide to a quick contour. I’ve included the products I love and some stock images I’ve found via the internet to help guide you.

Step one, Sweep your bronzer under your cheekbone using an angled brush. You can find your cheekbone easily using your fingers – the color should go in the hollow just beneath it. At this point the color will look quite strong, but don’t panic! This is where we blend; using the same brush, or a clean one, blend the line upwards. If you blend down, you will lose the height of your cheekbone and your face will just look muddy. (hence the rolled in dirt reference above).

 

Next, Blend the contour color into the hairline. This will help give your skin a healthy glow and disguise a large or flat forehead.

To make your nose look straighter, use your fingers to rub a little contour powder along the sides of your nose, or a small eye-shadow brush. Blend well. Don’t go right to the tip of your nose or it will end up looking too thin. If your chin is starting to droop a little, just sweep a touch of contour powder under the jaw line to instantly hide any saggy bits and look younger or I’ve noticed look skinnier.

I’ve found the key to all contour is BLENDING! No harsh lines, they make all the difference.

Now, highlighting! I love highlighting, it really is the best way to extenuate your facial features in the best way.

Highlighter reflects the light well, so only apply it to the places you want to draw attention to. Sweep it above the cheekbone, along the brow bone and down the center of your nose to give the impression of a rounded surface. As a finishing touch, dab a little bit of highlighter onto your cupid’s bow (the little dip in your upper lip).

 

 

Hope this helps!

xoxo

Products shown: Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit and Hard Candy Baked Illuminator