Stay In Place: Tricks To Making Makeup Last All Day.

Today's Woman runs around. I hear it all day, every day no matter what lifestyle and what demographic..Women are managing to run around from the early morning through the late evening. As our days stretch out, we find our makeup does not follow us but rather ditches out on us halfway through our day.

Luckily there are tips, ingredients and steps to lock your makeup in place so you look just as fresh at the end of your day as you did at the beginning. Here are the basic steps to have a stay in place complexion.

1. Prime: If you have not tapped into this amazing product yet, I highly suggest you do for it makes all the difference. A primer serves two purposes. It is usually a silicone or dimethicone (by the way, do not even get me started on one of my must have, favorite smoothing ingredients 'dimethicone'..it is literally a miracle ingredient.) base that acts as a smoothing agent. This breathable smoothing agent lays on your skin so that your foundation and powders lay on the primer rather than getting stuck in those fickle lines, wrinkles and pores. So, it makes your skin look young and perfect! Primer also protects your makeup from the enzymes in your skin that are designed to breakdown dirt and debris. Your poor enzymes do not know the difference between a spec of dirt and the powder that you just spent your hard earned dollar on applying to your skin. This all helps create a perfect stage for longer wearing and even makeup!

You will place a pea size amount on your fingertips and massage the primer onto your skin.

2. Foundation: If you wear a liquid foundation, apply your foundation with a foundation brush. It makes a world of difference for the actual look of the application but more so, applies the product in a way where it has longevity.

3. Conceal: If you wear a concealer, apply your concealer after your foundation. I get asked which should go first as one of my most asked concealing questions. There is no wrong or right answer however if you are looking for the most coverage and the longest wear time, artists suggest placing your concealer on after your foundation. This gives the larger molecules in the concealer a chance to bind on top of the smaller molecules of the foundation, creating more coverage and longevity. I also suggest you use a brush for this application as well. It will ensure you have the most smooth look and natural look.

4. Set: For a long wearing complexion, powder is not an option but rather a must-have. A common mistake clients make when setting foundations with powders is buffing it on in hard or circular motions. This disrupts all of the hard work you just did in smoothing out the skin. The best technique is to pat the powder lightly on top of your makeup. Pat versus rub or buff.

I also must give a very large shout out for another product I can not live without as I am a girl on the go and need to lock my makeup down even further. Setting Spray. After my makeup is completely done..eyes, cheeks, lips...I use a Makeup Setting Spray and generously mist my face and allow a moment to dry. Makeup Setting Sprays are designed to seal and protect makeup for the rest of your day. You can also carry Setting Spray in travel size in your purse to touch up spritz while you are on the go. It feels amazing and makes you look fresh!

So run those errands, be that super woman and order your makeup to stick along with you for the ride!

Lala xoxo

Chocolips: Homemade Chocolate Lip Gloss.

Chocolate Lip Gloss

• 1.5 Tbsp. cocoa butter
• 1/2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
• 1 Vitamin E capsule
• A few drops of Stevia for sweetness
• For some extra umph: a few drops of peppermint oil or vanilla extract (totally optional)

Melt the cocoa butter in a glass cup. Stir in the cocoa powder until it’s well blended. Add the Vitamin E capsule and Stevia and give it a final stir before pouring your homemade lip gloss into a new or used lip gloss pot. Allow it to chill in the fridge for a couple hours and enjoy!

Lala xoxo

Illuminate.

A simple step in any beauty routine that goes without getting much attention is a highlighter. Something as simple as a quick application can take you from drab to fab, looking young and vibrant. Highlighters can be a cream if you have a normal to dry skin tone or a powder if you are normal to oily. Both look gorgeous so long as the texture of the highlighter that you have chosen match your skin type.

How to highlight in a pinch!

1. Apply your blush as usual. For a soft look, apply your blush on the apple of your cheek and then sweep it up and back like a Nike Swoosh. For a chiseled look, apply just below the cheekbone and back.

2. Take your highlighter and apply it to to top of the apple of your cheek and blend up along your cheekbone and around the side of your eye.

Once you see what a huge difference that can make in your look, you can then look back to earlier posts on more advanced highlighting and how to maximize your glow.

Shine on ladies!

Lala xoxo

 

 

 

 

Eye Have It Under Control: DIY Eye Treatments.

The eyes...it is the most looked at part of your features and yet can make you or break you. It is the first place that we show stress, fatigue or aging. So take a moment, lock yourself away from the world and pamper your peepers with an eye treatment.   

Cucumbers and Tea.  You will prep the night before. First steep chamomile tea for a half an hour in a cup. Allow the tea to then move to room temperature while sitting. Then, slice cucumbers and set them in the cup to marinate. Place the cup in the fridge overnight.

The next day or evening, pick the saturated cucumbers out of the tea and place them on a clean eye for 15 minutes.

After the 15 minutes, remove the cucumber and blot dry lightly. Apply olive oil on top to seal in the tea and also to replenish your moisture in a lightweight and rebuilding way.

Enjoy!

Lala xoxo

 

Crayons: Color Outside The Lines.

An eye trend that is sweeping across the industry right now is the waterproof eye shadow pencil. These chunky pencils are part eyeliner, part eyeshadow and all the rage! You have the simplicity of a pencil and the flexibility of smudging it into an eyeshadow with the reliability of a waterproof. Here is how to utilize this gift from the beauty gods!

• Line and fill. Line your eye as usual with the chunky pencil. Then, fill in your entire lower lid.
• Smudge and Blend. With an eye liner brush (in a pinch you can always use a Q-Tip as well), smudge the liner, blending it out to soften.

It is honestly that easy! You will look smokey, sultry and in a look that will last all day in two simple steps!

Lala xoxo

 

Faux Flirting: How To Apply False Lashes.

Have you ever flirted with the idea of wearing false lashes but had no idea how the hell to put them on? Look no further ladies for this intimidating application is as easy as one, two, three! 
 Fitting and Trimming. If your false lash strip is wider than the shape of your eye (and it always is) you will trim your lash strip to fit the shape of your eye. Trim your lash from the inside of the strip. A good rule is that your lash strip should begin 1/8th from the inner tear duct.
Glue it. Place a thin line of adhesive to your lash strip and wait 30 seconds to let the glue slowly settle so that it is not too runny or too thick.
Adhere it. Using tweezers, grab the middle of the lash from the tip of the lashes. This is better than your fingertips for you can truly get a better handle on your application without the width of your fingertips getting in the way. Place your lashes on, concentrating on the middle of the lashline to create an anchor then securing to the outside, then securing the inside.
Finishing touches. Now, using your fingertips, press your lashes and the lashes together after they have dried for about 10 seconds. Add mascara to finish the bond and cohesiveness of your natural lash and your false lash. Voila! Bat those lashes ladies and try not to stop traffic too much if you can help it..
Lala xoxo

Quick Eyes: Simply Purple.

Eyeshadow always looks so complicated. It is one of those things that looks like rocket science but truly is more bark than it's bite! Here is my favorite "looks like I spent and hour on it" 5 minutes eye looks..

Prime it! Apply eyeshadow base all of your lid. Bonus points if you find an eyeshadow primer with a little bit of built in eyeshadow that is cream shimmer colored. Primer kills two beauty birds with one stone..it creates an even looking canvas for your eyeshadow to lay and also keeps your shadow from creasing throughout the day.
Color it! With a Medium Eye Shadow brush, sweep your plum color all over your lower lid and then blending it along your crease where your bone is.
Highlight it! Take a light Eye Shadow color and sweep it under your eyebrow arch.
Add some liner, mascara and get on your merry way! It's simple and yet when you are finished looks as if you spent the better part of a decade creating it!

Lala xoxo