Using Color Creatively

It’s no secret that I’m a big advocate of wearing makeup that is not only age-appropriate, but situation-appropriate as well – meaning toning down the glitter or the thick liner for school, work, family events, etc. This does not mean, however, that “appropriate” means “boring.” Personally, I cannot seem to get myself to stay away from color, no matter if I’m going to work or doing freelance makeup work, or even just hanging out with my family or friends on the weekends (yes, I hang out with my family. They are cool people. You will understand how cool your family is when you are older, I promise). Granted, I don’t wear as much as I would if I were going out with my girlfriends or having dinner with my boyfriend (ok, he’s my husband, but I want to sound cool and hip here!), but you’d be surprised at how you can still work a pop of color into your everyday makeup routine to ramp up your look without crossing over into “inappropriate” territory. I am going to pretend like the girl on the left is not Stefani Pratt cause I could seriously care less about her, her brother, her brother’s wife, or any of those crazy idiots on the Hills or whatever show that is about all those rich kids who are famous for doing nothing. HOWEVER. The addition of a swipe of blue eyeliner to the bottom water line really makes the blue of her eyes stand out, and it’s an unexpected addition of color that also adds interest. In Ashanti’s case, the blue looks beautiful against her darker skin tone and adds definition to the shape of her eye that you may not notice if her liner were just black or brown. A little color in the outside corner of the eyes is always fun, or I also like to take a thin angled brush and swipe some color under my bottom lash line – purples, blues, greens…just don’t apply too heavily. Eyeliner is not meant to be black or brown all the time! I know I’ve advised you to keep a neutral color palatte for school/work, and you should, BUT…a little punch of color never hurt anyone. That I know of.

Back to School Beauty

So, sadly, it would seem that the end of lazy summer days are upon us…or at least you, because I have been working 9-5, Monday-Friday pretty much every day of my life for the last ten years. I still don’t know why “grown ups” don’t get summer vacation, but that’s another post. It’s back to school time!!! I know you must be so incredible excited, since you totally finished all your summer reading way ahead of time, and you can’t wait to use that new protractor you just got, right?? All that excitement aside, I have just a few back to school beauty ideas, do with them as you will:

-If you can’t wear makeup to school: Honestly, no one is going to notice some translucent powder so that one’s a freebie. Vaseline, oddly enough, is great on lashes when you can’t wear mascara. It gives them a shiny look which will make them stand out a bit more than if you weren’t wearing any at all, just dip your finger in the jar and very lightly apply to the tips of your lashes (I hope it’s not necessary for me to tell you to keep it out of your eyes cause it will not feel good). Clear mascara also gives about the same effect. Tinted lip balm is not technically makeup, and you can tell your principal I said that. So, put some of that on and you will be moisturized and have a bit of color, too.
-If you’re allowed makeup at school: DON’T. GO. OVERBOARD. I do this all the time, and I certainly did when I was a teenager – you stock up on a whole bunch of new products and you want to wear it all, immediately, at one time. Stop. This is not necessary. If you want to make a good impression on the first day, you want to look like yourself. Remember that boys are not the only ones checking you out, you also have a whole new round of teachers to leave an impression on. Keep your look simple, brush a neutral shade over your lids and use a mid tone (not super light but not black or a very dark brown, either) in the corners to emphasize your eye shape. Liner on the top lash line (black or brown…save the color for the weekend or special occasion), but again, you are not Amy Winehouse (and judging from the tabloids, I don’t think you want to be), so let your natural beauty and features be what people notice, NOT the fact that you have on more eyeliner than Pete Wentz.
-Throw a gloss or balm into your bag so you can reapply during the day, or a powder compact if you have a tendency to get shiny. Those oil-absorbing sheets also work really well for taking excess oil off without messing up your makeup. I would advise against in-class application, though. Just a thought.
-Clean out your makeup bag before school starts and toss anything that’s old. Need some guidelines? Start here. This is a great time to get some new shadows and liners. Just remember to keep your color palatte neutral for school!

It’s always sad to see another summer come to an end…but there’s always Thanksgiving and Christmas break to look forward to!

Why You Gotta Be So Mean?

I don't know what Perez Hilton has done to my mind, but he has worked his Jedi mind tricks on me and made me dislike Vanessa Hudgens for no real reason. For one thing, I think she is beautiful. I love her olive toned skin, her dark hair (how long you think it'll be before she, too, goes Hollywood blonde??), and the shape of her eyes. If you don't tell anyone, I'll admit I saw High School Musical, but failed to see the second or third and have no plans to see her new movie about being in a band or something ridiculous like that that I would never believe about her (see what I mean? Perez has MIND POWERS!!!). Anyway, none of this has any real point, but I just think she looks amazing in this photo, she's not overloaded with makeup, she looks like a teenager, and it's nice to see a teenager looking like a teenager and being happy about being a teenager. Maybe she's smiling because her boyfriend is Link Larkin (oops, I just admitted to seeing Hairspray, didn't I??), maybe it's because she's 18 and has like 4 million dollars. I don't know. Whatever the case, I do wish to let everybody know that you really are never fully dressed without a smile. :) Trust me. You don't have to make grown up sexy face all the time. You'll get wrinkles from all that pouting, anyway. And while I'm at it, don't believe everything you read, either...I love me some juicy celebrity gossip, but that stuff eats at your mind after long enough!

Shiny, Happy People (hmmm...this is a reference to an old REM song from the 90s that you maybe will not get cause you were like 4??)

I am the first to admit that I am very, very guilty of what I call "raccoon syndrome" because I am instantly attracted to and mesmerized by anything shiny, sparkly, or glittery. (In case you are not picking up what I am laying down, raccoons are infamous for their attraction to shiny, reflective things, I'm not just picking stupid names here) That said, I LOVE glittery, shimmery makeup. I love it. I got a Milani lip gloss the other day that I think I might want to marry. It's called Lip Mixer, and it's available in multiple shades (today I'm wearing Lip Stir, kinda like Hipster but with less hip and more lip - and I am all about that!), and not only does it look like something I might want to eat, but it's also incredibly, beautifuly shimmery, it's not sticky, and it smells delicious. I highly recommend adding any shade to your makeup collection, and you can get Milani at pretty much any drugstore. That said, it's also very easy to go over board with the giltter, so a tip for keeping the shine in check is to only apply it in one place. If your shadow is super glimmery, use a matte lipstick or a gloss that doesn't have glitter. If your lips are rocking the glitter, use matte shadows and maybe highlight by your brow bone with a shimmer. You don't want to look like a disco ball, so try to balance out something shiny with something matte (by the way, matte means it's not reflective, but a flat color that doesn't have sparkly specks or metallic shimmers in it...sounds boring, I know, but the combination of the two is really very nice!) to get your look right!!

(Literally) Going Green

So I’m sure you’ve seen this in the store before: a little tube of green liquid that calls itself concealer or cover up, or the same thing in yellow. And you want me to put this where?? Seems a bit off to put something that shade on your face and not come out looking like a cast member of Cirque du Soleil, but these are actually products of genius. If you’ve ever taken an art class and had to learn about the color wheel, this might make a little more sense, but if not, no biggie because it’s a pretty simple concept. Red and green are complimentary colors, right? Meaning they are opposite one another on the color wheel. So, when you apply green goop to a red spot on your face, guess what happens? The green counteracts the red and it works to neutralize the fact that hey, you’re human and you have a blemish. The trick with this is to not go overboard. You don’t need a lot to cover a blemish or two (or even cover a splotchy area if you’re dealing with uneven skin), and the real key here is to blend like crazy. Because if you don’t…you’re left with a greenish tint to your face which will have people thinking you’re on the verge of vomiting all day. And good luck getting anyone to sit next to you when they think you’re going to lose your lunch at any second.

As for the yellow concealers…these work really well on eyelids, for two reasons. One, they provide a base for your eye shadows to cling to and can actually make them last longer – just beware that you’re not overloading your lids, cause that will lead to your shadows “creasing” which never looks good. Secondly, they work great if you have really thin skin on your lids (like I do) and the veins below your skin are visible. Regular concealer will cover that up as well, but what the yellow does is work to counteract darker tones, if the skin on your eyelids happens to be darker than on the rest of your face, or if you have dark circles under your eyes (really, turn off the computer and go to SLEEP!!), a bit of yellow concealer can help cover that. Yellow or green, just be sure you’re blending. And of course, you’ll want to go over that with your foundation or powder, to give your skin an even tone, all over.

I'm Just Saying...

So I blogged recently about the importance of blending your foundation and powder so that your face isn't a totally different color than the rest of your body. This is maybe slightly less important in the fall and winter when you're more covered up, but as demonstrated by the adorable and very talented Jojo, when it's summer and you're showing skin, it just looks weird when your face is tan and the rest of you...is not.

Lighten up on the bronzer, ladies. If you're not blending right, you'll just end up looking dirty. And Jojo seems like the kind of girl who bathes on a regular basis, so I doubt this is the look she was going for. The dress is a totally different story, but I can't talk about that right now because I'm too distracted by the color of her arms versus the color of her face and neck. And the little peep of skin peeking out of the side of her dress. Hmmmmm....

When It's Too Hot for Foundation...

If you are one of the lucky few who is just blessed with beautiful skin (and oh, how I envy you!!) and you just don’t NEED to wear foundation, there’s a great product out there that doubles as a moisturizer and a little bit of color – tinted moisturizer (genius name, right??). One thing that’s really great about it is that it will blend in to match your skin tone because it’s only lightly tinted to provide just a teeny bit of coverage, and it also is super lightweight so you don’t have the heavy feel of foundation. This is also great during the summer if you want to skip the foundation all together but still need to even out your skin tone or cover a blemish. Sometimes it really is just too HOT for foundation. Instead, dab a bit of concealer under the eyes or over a blemish, then blend over that with the tinted moisturizer, finish with powder, and that’s that. Neutrogena makes a great one that is available at any drugstore, and even comes complete with that SPF factor that I love so much. And may I say, that had I had skin like Selena Gomez when I was 17, I would have paraded it around every single day. Not that she is parading, I’m just saying that I would have.

Hats Off to Hayden

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my lucky stars that I was never a child celebrity. Considering that I was a teen in the 90’s, when sky high bangs and unbelievably tacky crap were in fashion, I think most people who were famous back in the day can only look back at the photos and wonder why on earth they ever thought wearing multiple colored scrunchies (oh my GOD, do you even know what a scrunchie IS?!?!) or velvet button-up shirts was cool. That said, I am (for the most part) totally amazed at how classy and put together most teenage celebrities are now. I am not a huge fan of her acting (sorry, but I speaka da truth), but I would like to applaud Hayden Panawhatever, because she was born when I was like TEN and I seriously want to raid her closet. I plan to get some video tutorials going on here soon, and I’d really like to recreate some of Hayden’s looks. MOST of the time she looks age appropriate and fresh-faced and cute (ok, ok, she’s beautiful) and I know that for me, attempting to imitate the looks of my favorite celebrities back in the day often had disastrous endings (I have already mentioned the pencil thin eyebrows that were a result of telling my older sister to make me look like Drew Barrymore).

I do think it’s kinda creepy that she can’t date anyone her own age, but that has nothing to do with this blog, I just wanted to say it. Out loud. So she can hear me.

Anyway, stay tuned for some video soon, and kudos to Hayden for growing up in Hollywood and remaining (relatively) normal-ish. Kind of. Most normal people don’t have million dollar Dooney & Burke deals and a closet full of Louboutins but you know what I mean.

The Eyes Have It

I am not going to lie: I do not always get my beauty sleep. I wish I could say I religiously get 8 hours of sleep every night, but I do have a life and that means sometimes I stay up past my bedtime. You may be able to lie to your parents about what time you actually got off Facebook last night and went to sleep, but your skin will give you away, every time. Your eyes have an amazing ability to point out the fact that you did not have them closed for a solid 8 hours while you were off in dreamland, but there are ways to fake a decent night's sleep. I do not recommend this as a substitute for actually getting the sleep you need, but I remember the time when I also thought sleep was highly overrated. Anyway, I found a great product by Yes to Cucumbers - and knowing that cucumbers have long since been a remedy for puffy, swollen eyes - I am really anxious to try it out. There was a time when I would put cold cucumber slices over my eyelids or chilled tea bags to reduce the swelling, but when they put it in gel form and wrap it up in a cute package, who am I to not try something new? The great thing about this is that it's available at Walgreens and Target, among other stores, and you won't pay a fortune for it. Another thing to remember when dealing with tired eyes is to not load up on concealer under the eyes...lightly apply a dab under each eye and blend using your ring finger (just because it's your weakest finger and you'll do less damage to your skin's elasticity that way). Layer that under a light foundation and your eyes will perk up a bit. Keep your shadow colors light in the inside corner of your eyes, especially near your tear ducts - that really opens up your eyes and can also make them look a little more wide awake. That said, I am not promising miracles here. You really should be getting your sleep. And, if you know you're shorting yourself and you fall into bed at 1am after a night of talking to your boyfriend on the phone, do yourself a favor and at least indulge yourself in a glass of water before bed. Getting up to pee at 5 am is a small price to pay for keeping your skin hydrated and healthy looking, believe me.

Check out the cucumber eye gel here: http://www.yestocarrots.com/?CategoryID=416 Your eyes will thank you for it in the morning.

Beauty Without Breaking the Bank

I recently went away on vacation and while I was gone, I indulged myself in some new cosmetics that I can't readily get at home. Normally I would hesitate to buy one eyeshadow pot that cost $13, but hey...I was on vacation. Now that it's back to reality for me, I thought I'd post something about how to look great without spending a fortune. I've found that mixing high-end department store brands like Chanel with drug store brands like Revlon and Wet'n'Wild is a great way to feel like a million bucks without spending your entire summer earnings. Some people scoff at Wet'n'Wild, but I will go down on the records and say that I wore W'n'W cosmetics at my wedding. Oh yes I did. They have a shadow pallete called Sand Castle that I would recommend to anyone. The colors are beautiful and they go on smoothly, don't crease on my lids, and they stay put all day. AND I don't have to put half the container on my face to get the colors to show up. I recently discovered another great line that is perfect on a tight budget - it's called Eyes Lips Face (E.L.F.) and it's all A DOLLAR! Just one dollar will buy you brushes, shadows, liners, glitter pencils, mineral lip glosses...amazing. For the most part, I wouldn't skimp on things like foundation and a good eyeshadow brush. Things like that you want to pony up a few more dollars for and get yourself a really good, blendable foundation or some nicer brushes. That said, I've never used E.L.F. brushes OR foundations, so maybe I should try them out and put my money where my mouth is. Anyway, you can sometimes find it in stores, but it's also available online at http://www.eyeslipsface.com/. The Sugar Kiss line is really nice for young skin, and the colors are fun and bright without being overbearing. And they even sell shimmer eyeshadow cell phone charms. And who doesn't need one of those??? Don't think you have to spend a fortune to look good. True, some of the high-end products are more enviable, but if you can buy TWENTY eyeshadow colors or brushes for less than the cost of ONE shadow from one of those lines, it kind of seems like a no-brainer to me.