Camera Ready Make Up Make Over: Elly

I took these pictures in the summer when my sister was visiting. She has the best skin ever and is just so gorgeous that she rarely wears much make up, so I thought it would be fun to do the real deal and do a camera ready make over to do her up and talk a little bit about the differences of day to day make up and make up for when you will be taking pictures. 

Picture make up Do's: The general rule is that you need to apply a bit more contours and blush to make the contour of your face show up on camera. So add more contour in the hallows of your cheekbones, your temples, under your chin, and around your forehead, as well as in the creases of your eyeshadow. Make sure you apply just a tiny bit more blush than normal to make your apples really pop and you will definitely want lots of lashes, so either triple coat those bad boys, or apply some falsies. 

Don'ts: You will want to avoid shine and too much shimmer, as well as SPF which can cause a glare on camera. Don't overdo the eyeliner just because you overdid everything else, unless you're going for that look of course. 

 First I primed her skin with my all time favorite primer, Hourglass Veil Primer

Then I used a light and dark contour foundation pen to darken under the cheekbones, temples and forehead and lighten the chin, under the eyes, and above the brows

Next I used a Quo sponge to stipple the light and dark contour colors in blending with a bit of foundation being careful to not spread the contour colors to other places other than where I put them to begin with. Then I used Anastasia contour kit to set under the eyes with the yellow powder and the sandy color to further contour.

I used gel liner to line her upper and lower lashes and did a triple threat coat of L'Oreal mascara.

I added a peach blush to the apples of her cheeks as well as highlighter on the highest points of her cheekbones.

Then I filled in her brows with make up forever aqua brow and some powder and lined her lips with an aqua liner and a plumping lipgloss!

Tanning Bed In A Tube

Every gal's secret winter weapon, and mine for the past 6 or 7 years, is going to be Too Faced's Tanning Bed In A Tube. This delicious tropical smelling cream is an instant bronzing gradual self tanner that gives your skin an immediate glow and with constant use builds a sunless tan. It is super easy to apply, just squirt a dollop in your hands to smooth over legs, or I mix it with my face cream before I put make up on to bronze my face. Not only does it deliver a gorgeous glow, but it has Grape Seed extract & Safflower Oil to moisturize skin as well as a firming formula that stimulates collagen and elastin production, who doesn't want that?! Oh, and its vegan friendly! 

Too Faced: Tanning Bed In A Tube

Skin Solutions

Of course there are certain situations that require more assistance when it comes to the skin, but there are also lots of easy great ways to get "younger", healthier, radiant looking skin and it really starts from the inside out. Whatever you put into your body comes out and part of those toxins are released through the skin. So, if you want your skin to look better remember to exercise, eat healthy, and drink lots and lots of h2o! Other than eating and drinking, here are some more tips to help maintain youthful wrinkle & acne free skin!

1) TAKE IT OFF: Do NOT go to bed without taking your make up off!! Whip out your favorite face wash & remove your eye make up before you snooze (I love coconut oil to take my mascara off ). You don't want to be rolling around all night snoring and sweating clogging up your pores with yesterdays make up. For a DIY make up remover recipe click here

2) ROUTINE: Getting into a routine to start getting ready for bed before you're too tired to think will help. Take those 10 extra minutes to wash your face, apply toner, and a nightly moisturizer before bed and remember, whatever moisture your skin needs in the AM it also needs in the PM and vise versa. But remember that skin is not static, it is always changing meaning what worked for you last year might not work for you next year. In a nutshell, you're going to want to change up your products, but stay consistent to your routine. Pay attention to your skin and get check ups from professionals & treat yourself to facials! *wash your hands after using hair products before applying moisturizer or make up! Hair gels/sprays/treatments can clog your pores & cause breakouts!!


3) EXFOLIATE: Exfoliating your skin might be one of the best things you can do for it. It helps to get rid of dead skin and regenerate new cells, but you need to be careful not to be overly forceful with your skin you don't want to strip your skin of its natural moisture barrier, which can potentially accelerate the aging process. You can make your own exfoliant using salt, or sugar and keep it by the sink (sugar works great for lips & you can mix salt with yogurt for a body scrub, becareful not to overdo it with salt though because it can dry your skin out). I keep Beauti Control Spa Facial Exfoliating Polish in my shower. Its the perfect light scrub to use in the mornings to get the sleep off and start the day!

4) RETINOID + VIT C: If you're concerned about acne scars or wrinkles and you're not using a retinoid you should start. Certain types are only available through a doctor, but I use over the counter Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Night Moisturizer and it really helps to clear up acne, make pores appear smaller, and repair fine lines. Also, keep an eye out for skincare products that include vitamin C which is an anti-inflammatory! 

Winterize Your Beauty Routine

I for one am impatiently awaiting the first annual snowfall and by that I don’t mean that I want it to happen, but I know that its coming soon so I want to hurry up and get it over with. As the weather gets colder I want to stay in bed longer, my skin is getting dry and itchy, and I can’t go out with half dry hair expecting a frizz free unfrozen style anymore. So, I wanted to share my tips & tricks to winterize your beauty routine!

1.If your blow dryer isn’t almost blowing your head off your shoulders it’s not doing the job. Having a high powered blow dryer will significantly reduce your getting ready time, improve your hair health by not heat drying for long periods, and it doesn’t have to cost a lot! TIP: Make sure to blast your hair on the cold setting after blow drying. If your hair is still hot from the inside of the strands and you go outside in the cold it will be prone to get frizzy! Here are my favorite hair dryer picks that all include:

High performance motor and fan

3 heat settings / 2 speed settings

Ions

1875 watt power* (*this is the min. watt voltage to look for when picking a good dryer!)

Warrantees ranging from 2-4 years 

 

 

 

 

Remington Compact Chrome Dryer: 15.00

 

 

Infiniti Pro by Conair: $49.00

Nume Signature - Ionic Hair Dryer: $220.00

 

2. BB/CC Cream!! These creams pack a lot of power in one little tube. Take a look at the new BB by Revlon which combines moisturizer, primer, foundation, concealer, and sunscreen in one little tube. Of course you're still going to apply some touch ups with foundation/concealer but this little beauty balm will give your skin that extra moisturizing benefits and provide coverage all in one easy step!

Revlon Photo Ready BB Cream

 

 

3. New foundation. My advice? Take a trip into Sephora and get them to match you up. You don't want to be rocking your ultra tan summer shade of make up all winter long. Plus, some brands make kick ass moisturizing foundations to aid in keeping your skin healthy all winter long. Two great picks are Laura Mercier Moisture Supreme or Make Up For Ever HD.

 

 

Laura Mercier Moisture Supreme Foundation

 

MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Invisible Cover Foundation

 



Save vs Splurge

There are some make up items that are worth the splurge and other's there's just really no need to fork over extra cash for high end products, so today I wanted to share some little tips and a few of my favorite  products for Fall!

Save: Lipgloss. Lipgloss, no matter what brand or how gooey, lip gloss is one item that just won't last too much further past morning coffees and afternoon drinks  so why bother forking out twice the cash on an item that you can get awesome colors for every look and season at the drugstore! My new favorites for Fall are NYX Mega Shine Lip gloss in Sugar Pie & Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer in any shade you choose!

Splurge: MAC Prep + Prime BB beauty Balm Compact SPF 30, 30$; Most BB creams aren't cheap to begin with & neither are primers, so why not double up and save on both! Plus, in compact form this is great product to touch up on the go to perfect, protect, even out and illuminate!  The downfall is that compacts do offer less product than the tube, so if you're not needing it for on the go opt for the tube version to save pennies! Available here

Save: On anything that requires sharpening. I hate the feeling of sharpening away products and money on anything in pencil form. I love the quality of Quo Black waterproof eyeliner and Too Faced eyebrow pencil, but I felt like I was going through them way too fast & the money was adding up. If you're still using eyeliner pencils everyday I suggest trying the pot of gel liner with a brush. Its really easy once you get the hang of it and the Sephora kind I use for only 20$ is water proof and lasts forever you can read more about that here. Same goes for lip liners & brows. The one eyeliner I will still get is L'Oreal Smoldering eyeliner because the thick pencil allows for more applications before needing to sharpen and sells for only 12$! I usually wear black eyeliner, but I use this pencil in brown to line my bottom waterline and create definition above the top lash line. If you're not skilled at the cat eye, you will love this pencil its easy to tip to its side to create the perfect line. 

Splurge: Le Blush creme de Chanel. If you haven't tried a cream blush, or tried one and didn't love it this is worthy of trying. Creme blushes tend to be longer wearing, easier to blend, and Chanel's new line of cream blushes has amazing color choices that look so natural.

For more of my favorite products check out what I keep in my make up bag for daily use here