My Favorite Red Lipsticks...

Happy Friday! Oops, I mean Thursday...but since I have off work tomorrow for Good Friday, today is my Friday! Woohoo! I'm so excited about this weekend, not only because it's my anniversary weekend but it's also Easter weekend; a time for us to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus <3 Love it!

Anywho, yesterday I decided to rock some red lipstick, and I swear, every time I wear red lipstick, I get called Taylor Swift. I take it as a compliment because she is quirky and pretty :) Not just the fact that I get called that, but I love wearing red lipstick in general. It makes such a bold statement without going too crazy. So, I wanted to give you my top four red's that I tend to wear, and some tips about red lipstick in general <3

1. Revlon ‘True Red’ = wonderfully wearable pinky red with an ever so slight sheen to it
2. MAC ‘Russian Red’ = dark red matte
3. MAC ‘Ruby Woo’ = retro pillar-box red
4. Nars ‘Jungle Red’ = very bright red

Tips:

♥ When wearing red lipstick, preparation is key. Moisturize your lips well and then let your chapstick penetrate into your lips before applying your lipstick to avoid unsightly dryness or the lipstick sliding off. If needed, you can always take a tissue and blot the majority of the chapstick off.
♥ Make sure to keep your eye makeup to a minimal. You don't want everything to stand out, just your lips. A nice neutral eye with a black wing liner always looks good.
♥ If you have a pale complexion, like me, there’s no need for fake tan as red lips look gorgeous next to porcelain skin :)
♥ With red lipstick, you want to be as precise as possible, simply because any imperfections are easy to spot! Use a matching lip liner first to draw out your lips, and make sure to fill in your entire lips with a lip liner. This is just in case the lipstick wears off during the day, you won't have an awful red line around your lips.

How To Look Good Without Makeup...

Happy Tuesday everyone :) We had another cold front come through Florida, and man it is a cold one! It surely doesn't feel like spring has sprung, but hopefully soon enough it will. I can't wait to wear my spring outfits I bought! The best part about the seasons changing and the weather getting warmer, is you don't need a lot of makeup to look good. In fact, warm weather helps your body look it's best. How, do you ask? Here are some secrets to look good without makeup <3

Get some Vitamin C! Either in a vitamin or a drink, Vitamin C can cut down on your body’s amount of free-radicals, causing your skin to stay healthy and work towards looking its very best. It also soothing on the throat, helps wake up your senses, and adding a little bit of lemon juice helps to flush and purify your body from the inside out, eliminating toxins and reducing the chances of any future skin sensitivities.

Get a tan! Of course, a fake tan for safer results. But even without lotions and the actual sun, there are many ways to still get that glow :) From tea to cocoa, iodine to foods that can naturally tan your skin, there are ways to amp up that healthy glow without having to subject your skin to tanning beds and wrinkle-causing UV rays. Here is actually a great book on this information: book

Exfoliate! When we don’t exfoliate on our face, the dead skin cells on our skin become opaque and don’t reflect any light causing our skin to look dull. Try to exfoliate twice a week, especially if you're one who piles on the makeup. Remember, your skin needs to breath!

Tips for the Perfect Manicure...

Happy Monday all :) Today is one of the first days that my body feels healthy and rejuvenated! That flu I had really kicked my butt for about two weeks, wayyyy too long. BUT now I have the energy to actually do things now, so let's get into the new blog :)

It seems like more and more drug store brands are putting out great nail polishes. Their colors are rich and bold, and there formulas last a good time. There are even fancy DIY Gel Manicures you can purchase, which I am actually thinking about getting (although it is a little pricey, it might save me money in the long run!) Anywho, if you are going to spend money on take home nail polishes, here are some easy tips the next time you give yourself a manicure to make it look great:

• If you are currently wearing a darker nail polish, we all know it sometimes tends to stain your nails when you are ready to take it off. Soak your nails in a solution of hot water, hydrogen peroxide, and baking soda for about a minute. Or you could also put some whitening toothpaste on a toothbrush and scrub the stains off your nail.
• Want a quick fast way to dry your newly manicured nails? Stick them in ice water! After painting your nails, let them air dry for a couple minutes. After that, dunk them in a bowl full of ice water (try to avoid the ice cubes) for 3 minutes!
• If you are going with a glitter formula, make sure to dab on the first coat; don't brush it on. This will help to distribute the glitter evenly and get the big chunks where you want them. If all else fails, use a toothpick to move the chunks of glitter around.
• When applying nail polish to your nails, go with multiple layers of thin coats. Don't just do one heavy coat of polish. A thick coat of nail polish will only dry at the top layer, leaving your manicure vulnerable to smudges.

Using Proper Tools...

Good Monday Morning everyone :)  What a past week it has been, I caught the flu! I don't know from where or even how, but I have been in bed, sippin' on sizzurp for about 6 days now...yuck! Today was the first morning I had energy to get up out of bed and move around. Now that I'm up? I want to go back to bed! hehe :)

This morning as I was getting ready, I used a couple new makeup brushes I purchased several weeks ago from Walgreens. They are three eye brushes, very cute in pink, and seem to work well for me this morning. It helped me notice that in order to do a great makeup routine, you need the right tools to perform the job. Tools just as important as the makeup skills that you have. If you are using mediocre brushes and had average skill, just by improving the quality of your brushes, the application would immediately be better, even without improving your technique.

So! What are the right tools? Here is a good running list to go off of:

1. Foundation brush
2. Concealer brush
3. Fluffy powder brush
4. Blush brush
5. Small blending brush
6. Flat eyeshadow brush
7. Precision angle brush
8. Lip brush

When you have your running list, you should learn how to properly hold each one; where you hold a brush on the handle affects your control. The closer your fingers are to the barrel, the more pressure you put on the brush head and vice versa.

Face Mask for Firming and Hydrating...

Happy Thursday friends :) Tonight is Zumba night, and I am very excited to go, seeing that I missed Tuesday's class due to not feeling well :x  If anyone has not tried Zumba yet, I would highly recommend it! You really don't feel like you are working out and burning calories (500-1000 calories each class BTW). All I know is I am dancing and having fun :)

Anywho, this week as I mentioned, I have not been feeling up to par. I had some kind of stomach thing in the beginning of the week and it has just really taken the energy out of me. I haven't been doing my nightly routines and just being lazy with my makeup. when I have these lackluster moments, I like to do a face mask to really help pick my skin back up. There are so many face masks out there, which one to try? Here is a great DIY Face Mask specifically for firming and hydrating the skin. Who doesn't love that <333


Ingredients:
1 vitamin E capsule
1 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp heavy cream





Directions:
Drain the contents of the vitamin E capsule into a small bowl. Add the honey and heavy cream and mix together until a smooth consistency forms. Apply the mixture to your face and leave on for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse off with warm water. Honey is an excellent hydrator and heavy cream contains lactate, which is wonderful for mild exfoliation. Plus, you get the benefits of vitamin E’s healing properties.

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