Quick Fixes for Day-Of Disasters

It happens to all of us- there's a big event on the day when everything that could go wrong with your face happens.  It is frustrating, but most things can be fixed if tackled first thing in the morning or right before makeup application.  I'll present a few scenarios and their quick fixes.  Note: these solutions are only temporary, perfect for day-of problems.  Some of them are not recommended for long-term use.

Let's take it from the top:

Tired eyes:  So, the night before a big party, dance, or event is always the night where you cannot get any sleep at all because of excitement, stress, or a cruel universe.  Red eyes, dark circles, and puffiness can really bring down anyone.  To counter the puffiness under the eyes, use a cream with caffeine in it or use two freshly used and cooled teabags.  If you go the tea route, use green or white teabags to prevent staining your skin.  For red eyes, there are so many eye drops on the market that target redness.  My personal choice is Rhoto V  Arctic.  It wakes your eyes up because it's so cold-feeling and it  makes your eyes look snow white!  (It is not meant for everyday use, though.  Only special occasions!)  Dark circles can be taken care of by using a color corrector (Mentioned in a previous post.) and concealer.  If you treat the puff in the morning and the rest right before makeup, no one will know about you staying up until 4 watching infomercials.  ;)

Dry, flaky skin:  Along with losing sleep, the air in your room seems to get extra dry in your room (very true of hotels) and it sucks all the moisture out of you.  If your skin is just tight, use a moisturizer to replenish your skin.  If you are also flaking, gently exfoliate with a little sugar (it's really gentle) and moisturize.

Acne:  This one is tricky because there are so many forms, each of which need to be treated differently.  If you have a whitehead that is ready to pop, wet a washcloth with warm water (hotter side of warm, really) and  hold it gently on the blemish.  If you're lucky, the head will soften and press out easily upon removal of the cloth.  After clearing the gunk out, wash your face as normal and add a little spot treatment to the pimple's remains.  If it is a weekend and you aren't going out until the evening for the event, you can take an extra step.  Thirty minutes after the spot-treating, you can apply an antibiotic ointmet and an bandage to help the skin heal.  If it's  a whitehead that hasn't come to a head, do everything in the previous section minus the washcloth and extraction.  If you have blackheads, use a pore strip before washing your face to really clear the pores and splash a little cold water or run an ice cube over the area.

Chapped lips:  This is my biggest problem because my lips are notoriously dry.  If I ever forget my lipbalm, my lips are screwed, especially if I want to wear a dramatic lip color that picks up any patchiness on my lips.  If you wake up with this problem, run some moisturizer over your mouth and slather on lip balm.  If you have flakes, use one that can exfoliate as well.  Carmex is my night time treatment because it has just enough salicylic acid to take care of the flakes without drying my lips.  Any lip balm is great for moisture, especially if it has cocoa or shea butter.  Petroleum jelly works as well for taking care of dryness.  When you get to you lips in your makeup routine, be sure to use a thin layer of lip balm as a layer of moisture before your lip product.  Usually, I encourage trying different textures for lipstick, but one type that should not be used if your lips are chapped is matte lipstick.  It is very drying and would just make you feel miserable.  If you like the matte look, use a satin finish lipstick because it is very close to matte, but not as drying.

I hope that you all find these tips helpful to know but don't go through these problems before every special occasion!

-M

Color I'm Loving: Orange

It is summer, friendly people!  This is a time to try out bright colors and take risks with different looks...especially if you like shades of the 1980s.  One color I am loving to wear is orange and colors close to it like melon and coral.  These colors have been hot on the runways but unlike other lip colors, few want to wear this daring shade for fear of looking garish, tacky, and/or sickly.  There is no need to be scared of the color because it can look gorgeous on many.  Those who wear it need to find their right color because like any other colors, the undertones of the color makes all the difference.  If you have cool-toned (more pink than yellow) skin, look for oranges with a little pink or red in them, like melon or coral.  If you have warm skin (more yellow), a truer orange will look edgy and awesome on you.  If you have beige skin...lucky ducks!  You can wear any of the colors!  Orange is one of those colors people do not expect in makeup because they take color so literally.  The thing is, most people will not look good in straight-up orange.  The trick is finding the right tones within the color.

I only did one eye because my eyeliner
broke and I got frustrated

The most popular way to wear orange on the runway is on the lips, but orange eyelids have been popping up a lot as well.  If you are daring, color block it.  Just pack on the color and finish with a gorgeous cat eyeliner.  If you want a very wearable look, use the orange as a wash of color and use brown to tone it down in a pretty smokey eye.  Depending on the brown, this can be a look for summer or autumn.  In the summer, don't go as dark- it will look too harsh.

This was my favorite look

When wearing color on the lips, it depends on how much edge you want to determine your look.  If you want to look sweet with subtle color- go for a stain, a little bolder- layer a gloss on it, and if you want to go all rock-star- wear one of the rockin' lipsticks out there!

Stained lips and cheeks

Last, melon/coral cheeks have been catching on in makeup.  Keep it very subtle with this feature because it can edge on weird-old-lady very quickly.  Just add a slight flush to the apples of your cheeks and you will look so sweet!





If you are unsure of where to start with orange, I would suggest starting slowly with a sheer formula, whether it is a cheek or lip stain.  If you are bold, go for one of the great orange lipsticks out there!  I have a few choice products for all levels to try.

Subtle and sexy:

Josie Maran Lipstain in Jive* 

NEW!  (I haven't tried it, but it looks amazing!) Benefit Cha-Cha Tint Lip/Cheekstain

Revlon Superlustrous Lipgloss in Firecracker

Revlon Colorstay Lipgloss in Continuous Coral

Revlon Just Bitten Lipstain in (I think it's called) Daybreak

Bold and Beautiful:

Prestige Lip Liner in Poppy

Covergirl Natureluxe in Anemone

Makeup Forever Aqua Lip Liner in Bright Orange 17C 

NARS Lipstick in Heat Wave* 

Givenchy Rouge Interdit Satin Lipstick in 13 Tempting Orange and 14 Fruity Orange

Makeup Forever Eyeshadow in Orange Coral Matte 5, Tangerine 18, Cantaloupe 24*, Pearly Orange 25

Makeup Forever Aquacream in Orange

* Worn in one of the photos

I hope this helps any of you who were debating on using orange in your summer makeup and those who didn't think orange was plausible for off the runway.  If you have any questions about working with this color or any other bright, please leave a comment or send me a message.  I'd be happy to elaborate for those who want more information.

By the way, all the brushes I used for these looks- eye brushes for a brown smoky eye with the stain and color block, and stippling foundation brush- are Real Techniques brushes.  They are makeup brushes created by one of my favorite Youtube beauty gurus:  Sam from Pixiwoo!  I will write a post about her brushes next because I've used them enough to have a strong opinion.


Take chances, make mistakes, and stay beautiful!

-M

Lip Tip I Learned From Beauty Blogging Blonde

Those of you who know me know that I love many Youtube beauty gurus, especially those from the United Kingdom.  I was watching a video by Millmollmac (Beauty Blogging Blonde on Blogspot) and she said something that really got my attention because I could relate.  She was talking about paling out her lips so the true color of the lipstick she was putting on would come through and would be more saturated.  When you have very pigmented lips, colors can go a little screwy.  She suggested using eye primer to pale the lips as well as prime them.  That is such a simple and perfect step!  Eye primers set a lot faster than foundation and really adhere to skin and they bring out the colors of eyeshadows, so why not lip colors?

I love learning new makeup tips and tricks!  Don't you?\

-M

Quick Tip: A Double Duty Product

If you have a busy day ahead of you, you do not need a ton of products to sift through just to look your best.  I would suggest having a work cosmetics space with just a few products.  One particular product that should be in that pile is a lipstain in a neutral-pink color.  This can be used on your lips to even out the color and as a long-lasting blush!  I suggest neutral-pink because the color is most believable, but if you like working with other colors (or if you are one of the few people that doesn't look good in neutral pink), use the other colors.

When using the stain as a blush, you want to create a light flush that makes you look alive in all lights, even the horrible fluorescent lights of work, so taking a stain and applying it directly is not ideal.  To get a natural flush, color a bit of the stain onto a makeup sponge, blot it on a tissue 1-2 times, then stipple it onto the apples of your cheeks.

When using the stain on your lips, it can get easy for the color to drift, so line the outside of your lips with lip balm to prevent feathering.  Swipe the color gently on your lips and blot the excess color with a makeup sponge.  When the color is dry, wipe the balm from the outside of your lips and swipe a balm or lipgloss on your lips to lock the color in and to make your lips feel more comfortable.  Stains can be very drying, so balms are lifesavers!

Some of my favorite lipstains:

Revlon Just Bitten- It has a balm on the end so you have your color and conditioning all in one!
BeneFit BeneTint-  Originally designed for an exotic dancer to put on her nipples (No joke!) and one of the best stains on the market!  Also available are the sister stains PosieTint and Cha-Cha Tint
Josie Maran Lipstain- It has a little argan oil in it so it is not as drying as others without a balm
Tarte Lipsurgence- Available in regular tint, matte, and shimmer.  They are more like tinted balms that leave a stain, but that is not a complaint!  NOTE:  This is not good for cheeks, but it is still lovely on lips.
Tarte Cheek Stain- Dries quicker than Lipsurgence, but is not moisturizing, so this definitely needs balm.


Hope you all find this useful!

-M