Get the Most Out of Your Lipstick! 8 Ways to Wear 1 Lipstick
There are so many ways to change the look of one lipstick… and yet, while I know this, I still can’t seem to stop buying a new lipstick every now and then (my collection is currently at 40-something…). But for those of you who aren’t interested in housing an excess of lipsticks or feel like spending the money – here’s 8 different ways to wear 1 lipstick.
#1. The Traditional Way: Choose a lip liner that either matches the shade of your lips or the lipstick shade. Line your lips and apply the lipstick. This will leave you with the truest shade of your lipstick.
#2: Highlight the Center w/ a Lighter Lipstick + Gloss: Apply a lighter lipstick to the center of your upper & lower lip. This will brighten the center, giving your lips the illusion that they are fuller. Take that fullness up a notch by applying a clear gloss right over that lighter shade lipstick.
#3 Nude Lip Liner + Apply Lipstick w/ Finger: Apply that same nude lip liner & apply your lipstick using your finger. This will provide the lipstick with a little less pigment, making the overall shade a little more muted.
#4 Blend Out the Lip Line: Use a fluffy brush to blend out the lip line. It will make your lips look more natural and less structured by diffusing the lip line, creating a ‘lip stain’ effect.
#5 Use a Darker Shade Lip Liner: A darker lip liner brings more contrast, making your lips look larger and inevitably making the overall shade a bit moodier/darker.
#6 Contour w/ Lip Liner: Contouring your lips creates the illusion that you have poutier lips (how to video coming soon!). Just be sure to pat the lipstick on with your fingers so that you don’t cancel out the lines you’ve created.
#7 Apply a Pink Gloss Overtop : A light pink gloss instantly gives that plumper-lip look. I like to focus this on the center of my lips and along the Cupid’s bow. This attracts light and makes the lips so freaking juicy.
#8 Colored Gloss Changes the Color of Any Lipstick: Apply any shade lipgloss up top to change the overall look of any lipstick; shimmer, brown, peach, anything!
I really hope this was helpful! Please comment down below, letting me know if you plan to try any of these application techniques and tips. I’d love to hear from you!
How to Choose the Perfect Foundation Shade! | Fortune Finds
We’ve all been there!! You go to the store, a sales associate matches your foundation shade only for you to get home and realize it’s anything but a perfect match. You go online, buy 4 shades of the same foundation and wonder if you’ll be able to return the 3 that don’t work. With samples no longer available due to Covid, online shopping and guesstimating have become our only foundation-matching resource. BUT! I am here to tell you it doesn’t need to be so difficult, as long as you know what shade and undertone to look for.
The first step in choosing the right shade is identifying your shade range or shade ranges. There are 5 shade ranges; Light, Medium, Tan, Dark, Deep. For reference, I am Light in the winter and Light/Medium in the summer.
One of the biggest factors that distinguishes shades within a shade range is the undertone of a shade. An undertone is the color from underneath the surface of your skin that contributes to the overall hue of your complexion. Don’t be confused with skin discoloration – acne scars, hormonal rashes or dark circles – these are surface tones and do not reflect the overall shading of your skin.
Cool Undertones: Blue, pink, silver hue to their skin. Look best in silver jewelry and winter-inspired shades (light blue, pink). Blue/Purple veins.
Warm Undertones: Peachy, yellow, olive or red hue to their skin. Look best in gold jewelry and summer-inspired shades (red, yellow, orange). Green/Olive veins.
Neutral Undertones: Pink and yellow hue to their skin. Look good in any jewelry and most colors. There is no obvious shade to the skin. Blue/Green Veins.
Once you’ve identified your shade range and undertone, look for foundations that either have shade descriptions or are labeled with their undertone. For instance, Make Up For Ever uses Y (yellow) and R (red) in their shade names (Y225) and they also provide descriptions next to them (Y225 – for light skin with golden undertones). Brands with great undertone descriptions include NARS, MAC, Make Up For Ever, Tarte, Fenty and Estee Lauder.
Choose 2-3 colors that you think might work for you. Swatch the foundation on the bottom of your jawline, onto your neck. Start blending them out – whichever one blends into your skin, seemingly disappearing into your skin, is your match! If you’re still unsure, take the two you think fit you best and blend one into one cheek and the other into your other cheek (don’t forget your neck too). This side-by-side comparison is a surefire way to see which is your true match.
Your skin type matters – dry, oily, combo. Pick a foundation that meshes well with your skin type. Not only do you want the shade to match but you want the formula to mesh well with your skin so that your foundation does not catch onto dry patches or cause your skin to overproduce oil, which can lead to foundation oxidation (when your foundation changes 2-3 shades darker).
How you prep your skin pre-makeup also matters. If you are oily – wash your face with a cleanser, apply a thin water-based moisturizer, apply a mattifying primer then go in with your foundation. If you are dry – wash your face with a gel cleanser, exfoliate, apply a hydrating moisturizer or primer then go in with your foundation.
I really hope this was helpful! Please comment down below, letting me know if you learned something from this or plan to use any of my shade matching tricks. I’d love to hear from you!
There is no cleanser out there that will quench your thirst, but there are such cleansers that will strip your skin of all possible moisture… leaving your skin tight & uncomfortable. I always say, a gel cleanser is your friend. They’re creamy, feel nice on the skin and only take off what they need, leaving your skin’s natural moisture behind.
I assume you have dry patches that consist of flaky skin that seemingly always poke through your makeup?? Meet your new best friend, the exfoliant! Exfoliators will take away any dead skin cells and help to unclog your pores, leaving your skin’s texture way smoother.
Toners are meant to add a thin layer of moisture to the skin. Add some to a cotton round, apply to your skin and go in with a hydrating serum within 30 seconds of application – this will lock in the toner’s moisture.
My favorite daytime serum is Vichy Mineral 89; looks amazing under makeup and contains hyaluronic acid which creates a moisture barrier, making it hard for any moisture to leave your skin.
Speaking of before bed, my nighttime routine always consists of a cleansing balm which is naturally hydrating thanks to its oily consistency. I then double cleanse using a gel cleanser to make sure all of my makeup is off while ensuring I don’t strip my face from all its moisture. The most hydrating serum I’ve ever used is the Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate. It has a dry oil consistency, so it’s not super heavy but leaves the skin feeling juicy and looks supple. Although I am dry, I don’t like super heavy creams that slide all over my face, stick to my clothes, pillow cases, etc. My personal favorite has been the Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Night Cream. It’s extremely hydrating but soaks into the skin quickly and feels really light on the skin.
What are some of your favorite hydrating products? Are you going to try any of my recommendations? Please let me know down the below in the comments section and thanks for stopping by!
I’ve never been one to follow ‘beauty trends’. I always say that what might work for someone else, might not necessarily work for you. We all have different features, different face structures, which consequently are complimented by different makeup techniques. So when I saw this years trends pop up all over the spring runways, social media… let’s just say I was overly delighted.
This year is all about letting our inner & outer beauty shine. Natural faces with minimal contour, bold lips against a bare face, smokey undone bedroom eyes – everything screams ‘self-acceptance’, as we embrace our face with the use of minimal coverage products. It’s all about picking one focal point of your face, making it POP & then letting the rest of your face support it, with minimal makeup effort.
Trend #1: Bedroom Eyes – My favorite trend of all. This undone look is extremely sexy and intimate. Kind of like you just rolled out of bed, forgetting to take your makeup off the night before. The messier the better. The best way to achieve this look is to outline your entire eye with a black kohl eyeliner, then smoke it out with a pencil brush. Voila!
Trend #2: Simple Cateye – A wing against bare skin screams polished yet simple. It doesn’t need to be a huge wing. In fact, the simpler the better. This year is all about sitting down & getting it done! I love the Wet N Wild Mega Liners.
Trend #3: Bushy Boy Brow – I love the undone brow look. It looks like you haven’t plucked your brows in months. It’s sexy, intimate, effortless. If you have dark bushy brows then a simple clear brow gel is all you need. Need a little fill in? Use a tinted brow gel.
Trend #4: Bold Eyeshadow – The quickest way to make a statement. Swipe on a liquid shadow, throw on some mascara and get your booty out the door!
Trend #5: Natural Face Makeup – Let your skin shine! High coverage foundation with heavy contour is not it. We’re being kinder to ourselves this year and letting our skin breathe (as well as ourselves – one deep breathe at a time).
Trend #6: Bronzed Skin – What’s happier than the warm summer sun? Nothing. We haven’t seen the sun in months. We’ve been cooped up inside for months. So I think it’s fitting that bronzer is all the rage this year. Like many of the other trends, we are looking to the past in hopes to envision a brighter, sunnier, future.
Trend #7: The Parisian Face – Simple, elegant, quick. An undone red lip is day time appropriate and makes everyone feel badass.
Trend #8: Bold Lipstick Shades – The quickest way to make a statement it to throw on a bright pink lip and go. Invest in some good liquid lipsticks this year, like the Fenty Lip Stunna paints (I’m dying to get this color), they’re mask proof and the shades are stunning.
Trend #9: Lip Stains – Again, sexy undone look. They give the illusion that your lips are naturally tinted raspberry red. Super kissable and budge-proof.
What do you think about these trends? Please comment down below letting me know if you plan to try any. I’d love to hear your thoughts!
BEAUTY ROUNDUP 💫 Makeup Products I Want to Finish in 2021 | Project Pan
I want to finish up a lot of my makeup this year. Life is always uncertain but it’s safe to say that life’s uncertainty was at the forefront of everyone’s mind in 2020. I was worried I’d lose my job, not be able to make a steady income with makeup gigs, etc., so I decided to save rather than spend. I found myself focusing on my craft more than the latest makeup release. I enjoyed playing and felt like my videos were less on a timeline and more on my own terms.
My hope is to keep this ‘no-buy’ going in 2021. I understand I am a beauty creator and that sometimes we want to know everything there is about the latest and greatest makeup launch, but I also know that 95% of the time, you can really achieve the look you desire with the makeup you already have.
So here are the products I’ve decided to dedicate my face to in 2021, in hopes to use up what I’ve spent my hard earned money on:
Wish me luck in finishing these products! I will do a 6-month check in in June so you can see how far (or how little) I’ve come in my journey to have the most ‘makeup empties’ this year! Please comment down below letting me know if you are doing your own project pan or what products you are looking to buy this year.
How to Hide Dark Spots, Redness & Other Pigmentation | Cover + Treat Hyperpigmentation
Pigmentation can be so frustrating, especially when it seemingly comes out of nowhere! Whether you have dark spots, dark circles, melasma, rosacea or any other kind of discoloration – here are all my tips & tricks on how to treat, prevent damage and hide what you have with makeup!
Treat current pigmentation by using exfoliating toners. Exfoliating toners with AHA & BHA’s will help to remove dead skin cells on your face, help to unclog pores, and, depending on their concentration, may remove the whole outermost skin later – beneficial for slowly eating away the pigmentation of facial pigmentation such as dark spots or melasma. I am no dermatologist but from my understanding, AHA’s are best for those of you who have extremely pigmented skin as it is water-soluble and will penetrate deeper. Saliclyic acid is the most common type of BHA, which is are great for treating acne, calming down redness and reducing inflammation.
Want a more natural pigmentation corrector? Aloe Vera contains aloin which is a natural depigmenting compound that lightens skin. Apply to your skin at night before bed and remove in the morning with the use of warm water.
Serums are great at lightening pigmentation and preventing further damage. Antioxidant enriched serums will help fight off pollution or UV rays that will only make your pigmentation darker/more pronounced. I love a vitamin C serum because it does just that, as well as inhibits the production of melanin (what your skin produces to give you a tan) which is a double whammy!! If you are sensitive to Vitamin C, try a Niacinimide based serum. I find them to be a little gentler.
Feel free to apply these serums in the morning or at night.
Wear a SPF every single day. Whether you are outside or inside, you should apply SPF. It’s recommended to use SPF 50 every day. I cannot lie to you, I will wear SPF 50-100 during the spring/summer months when I know I will be outside, but I prefer SPF 30 when I am running to work/to do errands (aka not spending the day directly in the sun). You should also wear SPF underneath your foundation, even if your foundation has SPF in it. I always wear a hat when spending the say outside. I really love this one.
Use a long-lasting makeup primer. It’s important your makeup lasts throughout the day and throughout your face, especially when you have pigmentation. If your makeup starts to fade in a certain spot, your skin color will look uneven and seemingly erase the work you are about put in, in order to cover it up.
Color Correcting is essential. Dark pigmentation? An orange or a red will cover it up. Use orange if you have fair to medium skin / use red if you are dark to deep toned. Have redness? Green will help correct it. Make sure to apply a very thin layer. I suggest using your fingers to ensure you get the thinnest layer possible.
Know the undertone of your skin. Picking the wrong tone of foundation can help to play up your pigmentation – plus, it just wont look good. For instance, if you are warm toned and use a cool toned foundation, your complexion can end up looking grey aka make your entire face look pigmented in comparison to the rest of your body. Not sure what you are? Look at your veins. If they are blue or purple, you are cool toned. If they are green, you are warm toned. If they are green and blue, you are neutral toned.
Use a high-coverage foundation and concealer. This will help to cover up anything and will ensure you don’t need to use a lot of product in order to get the coverage you desire. The more product = the more likely your makeup will move/fade throughout the day. Use a brush (in a stamping motion) when applying, a brush will pack the most coverage. Apply your foundation over your pigmentation first, this will help pack the most coverage over the areas that need it.
Set your pigmented areas with a powder foundation instead of translucent powder. This will create an extra layer of coverage and an extra layer of ‘makeup insurance’. If your makeup fades throughout the day, the first thing to go will be your powder. If it’s pigmented, it will not fade as fast as a translucent powder would.
Those are all my tips & tricks to help you cover any unwanted pigmentation. I really hope this was helpful. Please comment down below letting me know what you took away from this article and/or letting me know what makeup topic you’d like me to cover next!
How to Apply Cream & Liquid Eyeshadow | Fast Fix Friday
Applying cream and/or liquid eyeshadow may seem intimidating but I think it’s easier to use than your typical powder shadow!
Here are my tips to applying:
Oily lids? Use an eyeshadow primer & then set it with some translucent setting powder. This will help grip onto the liquid eyeshadow, making it difficult for it to move.
Use the same kind of eyeshadow shading or ‘mapping’ you’d use when applying powder eyeshadow: Transition shade that’s 2-3 shades darker than your skin tone, a darker shade for the outer corner to lift and accentuate the eyes & a lighter shade to brighten your inner corner and brow bone.
I typically use these three types of brush; a fluffy brush, a pencil brush and an angled brush. A typical crease/fluffy brush is the best at dispersing a liquid evenly across the lid and will give you a blown out affect (like blending out your crease with a powder). A pencil brush is great at pinpointing where you want a specific color and will keep it pretty tight (think the opposite of ‘blended’). An angled brush will do the same as the pencil brush but will keep the color even more compact, making this brush great to create a crisp line like a winged liner. I find synthetic brushes to work better than natural hair brushes. You can always use your fingers to blend as well!
Blend out the shades as soon as you apply them! Waiting too long will cause the liner to dry, making it impossible to blend or maneuver.
That’s pretty much it babes!! It really is that easy. Please comment down below letting me know what you took away from this article and/or letting me know what makeup topic you’d like me to cover next!
Reasons Why Your Foundation Looks Weird! | Smooth Foundation Tips
Why does my foundation look patchy?? A question I’m sure we’ve all asked ourselves at least once. Unfortunately, there are multiple reasons why your foundation won’t lay down smooth.. fortunately for you, I have the many reasons why & how to solve them…
Rule #1: Always be gentle with your skin
Rule #2: Only apply as much product as you need (don’t overdo skincare and makeup!)
Rule #3: Use all your cream products before using any powder products
Skincare Tips:
Exfoliate your skin 2-3x a week; this will remove dead skin cells & unclog pores, making the top layer of your skin smoother, helping your makeup lay down smoother! Have sensitive skin? Exfoliate the night before so your skin does not become irritated & red – we don’t want to have to apply more makeup to cover this up!
Apply an oil before bed, this will help to soften & smooth out that top layer of skin too. Be sure to cleanse your face before applying makeup; the less amount of product on your face the better. Sensitive skin friends; use a gentle gel cleanser.
Makeup Tips:
Use either a primer or a moisturizer, don’t use both – these are typically thicker products that will create too rich of a layer underneath your makeup. Prefer a primer? Make sure it is the right formula for your skin; oily skin = matte primer / dry skin = hydrating primer. Also, be sure not to apply too much skincare underneath your primer. I suggest trying no skincare or just a serum underneath. Prefer a moisturizer? Use this as your primer! Primer doesn’t need to be a product you buy at Sephora that specifically says ‘primer’. Your moisturizer will help plump your skin and give it the tackiness it needs to adhere and grip onto your makeup all day. Pick a moisturizer that is thin & unscented. Pat your primer or moisturizer into your skin; rubbing it aggressively will cause your skin to be agitated & can cause texture to surface, making your foundation textured too. Give your prime or moisturizer some time to sink into your skin, this will leave less product sitting on top of your skin.
Use a liquid foundation with medium to full-coverage. The thinner the formula, the better it will lay down on your skin. The more coverage a foundation has, the less likely you are to apply too much in order to achieve your desired coverage. Be sure to use a foundation that is right for your skin, again, oily = matte / dry = hydrating. Only apply foundation where you need it, don’t apply it where you are going to apply concealer too. Remember: the less layers of makeup, the better!
Apply foundation with a damp beauty sponge. Make sure the sponge is not wet. If wet, the water will separate your foundation, making it patchy. Make sure your sponge of choice is soft. A stiff sponge will not apply the foundation evenly and thinly to the skin. Bounce the foundation into your skin, never swipe! Is your foundation not applying well over dry patches or acne scars? Mix a little oil into your foundation and apply that mixture only overtop of those areas.
Use a thin concealer / avoid cream concealer. Only apply concealer where you need it and do not do the whole triangle-underneath-your-eye thing. That is far too much product! Don’t bring your undereye concealer down too far either, our cheeks/center of our face is usually the first place our foundation separates so the less product there, the better! Spot conceal blemishes with a concealer that matches your foundation, this way you are not applying more product where you don’t need it.
Apply setting spray before going in with any powder. If you apply foundation and concealer and everything looks great, a nice mist will help ensure that your face stays that way through the powdering process. Just make sure your setting spray has dried before powdering!! If your base looks weird at this point, then your skincare routine is lacking or you are picking a primer and/or foundation that does not agree with your skin type.
Only apply translucent powder where you need it. The thinner the layer of powder, the better IMO. Tap that into the skin using a fluffy brush. Once you’ve powdered the areas that need powdering, take whatever is left on your brush and pat that into the areas you plan to apply bronzer and blush. Sometimes our foundation is damp/tacky in some places, this will cause your pigmented powder products to stick more in those areas – leaving your foundation patchy or muddy looking.
Pat/stamp bronzer, blush, highlighter, etc. into the skin. You can blend out face powders by patting them into the skin. Swiping may move your foundation underneath and/or can cause irritation or texture on your skin.
Does highlighter ruin your base? Highlighter brings out texture. Only apply highlighter to the tops of your cheeks and apply it by patting it into the skin with a fluffy brush. This will pack the highlighter in-between your texture, so nothing looks raised.
Set everything with a makeup setting spray! This will help the powders melt into the skin, making your overall base look more natural and skin-like.
There you have it! I hope this was helpful & would love to know if it was. Please comment down below letting me know what you took away from this makeup article & please come back in order to let me know what did the trick for you.
Welcome to my first ever beauty round up! I’m running you guys through all there is to know about the products I’ve introduced to you so far this year. The good, the bad & the ugly!! So hold tight because I’m not holding back 😉
Was this video helpful? LMK in the comments section below! ⬇️
I’m using Jaclyn Hill’s Volume II Palette to recreate one of Jaclyn’s campaign looks!! I am so happy with how this came out & I absolutely love this palette. Watch to hear why!
What are your opinions of this palette? LMK in the comments section below! ⬇️
Fortune Finds 