I have always hated to buy eyeshadow in palates either the little four eyeshadow palate from the drugstore or the big gorgeous palates from Alta or Sephora. I end up with one favorite and the rest are still full when I run out of my favorite. It seems like a waste of product and a waste of money to replace eyeshadows that you still have a bunch of. So I started spending more and buying individual shadows from MAC or Urban Decay because I didn’t like the waste.
Read morePerfectly Imperfect Holiday Gift Guide
If you are anything like me you usually skip Black Friday (okay, okay I maybe ordered a few things while on my couch in my PJs and okay those things might have been for me) only to start frantically searching for the perfect gifts for everyone else mid-December. I’ve always been a procrastinator and it really makes Christmas a stressful time for me. I may need a holiday shopping intervention! The last few years Santa has gotten me some really great gifts and if you are still wondering what to get your Mom or your Sister-in-law or your best friend, stop fretting I got you covered! Whether you want to spend $20 or $120 this gift guide has something she will love!
Read moreThe Reasons I Switched to a Virtually Unknown Makeup Brand
Okay ladies let’s talk about getting older. I’m 35 and in the last couple years there have been some changes in my face. Some aging changes in my face, some fine lines and wrinkles. It seems like I just woke up one morning and there they were, looking back at me from the mirror. I started to notice that my makeup was sinking into those lines and accentuating my age. I wasn’t comfortable, I felt like this was the first thing people would see when they looked at me. It was not, but that was how I felt. I had been using the same makeup from the beauty counter for years, I kinda hate to admit how many years I stuck with this company even with the makeup looking not that great. When you get used to something, it becomes your comfort zone and it’s hard to make a change. Am I right?
Read moreEasy & Beautiful Sun Kissed Makeup
It’s summer!! I love summer, hiking, camping, swimming, barbecuing and warm summer nights outside are the best! What do you love about summer?
The other part about summer I like is getting a beautiful sun kissed tan. Okay, not really I am pasty white and tend to burn, peel and return to white and freckly. So, I basically bathe in sunscreen. Luckily, there are products that give me the look of being sun kissed even when I am hiding from the sun. Spray tans and self-tanning lotions have come a long way and these days it is hard to tell if a tan is from the sun or from a bottle. Also, there is no need to risk skin cancer to be a bronzed beauty! Just don’t do it!
Here is the thing though, I have always been terrified to put tanning lotion on my face! What if I get to much? What if I get streaks! What if I am in the middle of applying it and my daughter poops on the floor (maybe that was TMI, but we are potty training, so the struggle is real!). So I just don’t use it on my face. I also don’t want to be changing the shade of my makeup (I may be a bit cheap or maybe a tad bit lazy).
Here is the solution Bella Cream Bronzer, this is a little tin of magic!
Maybe you have never used bronzer and are wondering what is so great about it?
You get the healthy looking glow of a tan without the damage of the sun, win win!
Your face will match your body. If you have a tan body and a bright white face it looks unnatural, get some bronzer girl!
We all know that being tan is slimming (if you have ever tried on swimsuits in the winter you know this to be true, yikes!)
Ok, so you’re thinking, I have a bronzer, what is so special about this bronzer?
Well, my friend this sheer cream bronzer is magic it goes on lightly and is easily buildable
It is a cream, got to much, wipe it off and start over
If you are using a powder bronzer, it is matte, because powders are matte. When I think of the gorgeous golden suntanned glow of summer, I think of dewy bronzed skin! You can only get that with a cream.
Applying bronzer is really not that hard to do and it will only add a few moments to your makeup routine. If you think about where the sun naturally hits your face that is where you apply bronzer (forehead, tops of your cheekbones, nose, chin, collarbone). You do not use bronzer as a contour, contour is the area of your face where there are natural shadows and bronzer is the areas of your face where the sun hits. Apply with a big fluffy brush, lightly brush it over your bronzer in a circular motion trying to avoid getting to much in the middle of your brush. If you think you got a bit to much or it is a bit to concentrated in one spot, gently brush it over your wrist to get off the extra product. Start small you can always add more!
In this video I do my full face, highlight, contour, blush, bronzer and illuminator. Check it out to see the placement of each product.
Get Your Dirty Brushes to Shine Like New
Restore Brush Cleaner
I used to dread brush cleaning days. So, I didn't do it very often, I put on makeup with dirty brushes. Ewwwe! As my daughter would say. Every time, I would get them wet, soap them up and rinse them off and the makeup would never come out on the first try, so it became a serious lather-rinse-repeat situation. Then you had wet brushes that you had to set out to dry for 12+ hours (24 if your house is as cold as mine in the winter). What do you do if your brush still isn't dry in the morning? Not to mention I once had a set of expensive brushes, that in my lather-rinse-repeat, I went a bit to heavy on the rinse and softened the glue. The hair started falling out slowly as I applied my makeup, until one morning a big clump fell out and that was the end of my expensive bushes. Waaaaaaah!
Enter the cleaner of my dreams, no more water, not more lather-rinse-repeat, no more hunching over the sink for what seemed like hours. Hello you magic bottle that smells like heaven and cleans better than Mary Popins.
So how does this magic work? It is really to simple, grab your dirtiest brush, a couple paper towels and Restore Brush Cleaner.
Spritz your brush with Restore
Swirl that bad boy on the paper towel
When you are not getting anymore makeup on the paper towel your done. Take a look at that brand new beauty.
It is ready to use!! Yep, you read that right NO DRYING TIME!! Sorry I didn't mean to yell! I just get a bit excited about products that save me time and lots of lather-rinse-repeat. Also, did I mention that it conditions and sanitizes too!
Happy Cleaning!
7 Minute Mom Makeup
Let's be real, we all want to look our best, but when your toddler will start tearing apart the house if you are occupied for more than 10 minutes it is our appearance that gets neglected. There are always times that you have to look presentable and a 7 minute makeup routine is a game changer! Girl you can do it, you can make time for you. It is amazing what putting on a little bit of makeup does for my mood and makes me feel ready for the day. I work full time and have a busy 2 year old, if I can do highlight and contour in less that 10 minutes, you can too!
I have been using Maskcara HAC (highlight and Contour) makeup for almost a year now and I absolutely love it! It has given me more time in the morning to sleep in . . . lol, ya right! I have a toddler!! But it does give me a few more minutes to spend with my family before we all run off in different directions.
Check out my easy routine. If you think this looks like something you want let me help you get color matched!