APRIL FAVORITES!

April Favorites! <3

What I'm Wearing: Revlon Colorstay Whipped Foundation, MAC Pro Longwear Concealer, Benefit Hoola Bronzer, theBalm Instain Blush- Swiss Dot, Maybelline Color Tattoo- Edgy Emerald, Maybelline Quad- Copper Chic, Covergirl Lashblast Volume Mascara, Maybelline Color Whisper- Pin Up Peach 

Hello Loves,

This picture pretty much says it all. Here I am wearing most of my monthly favorites- all of which I will I will talk to you guys about! April was a very good beauty month..I discovered and better yet, REdiscovered some of my all-time favorite products, and with Spring in the air I have finally been able to bring some color back into my life, so let's do this! :) 

Face

- Revlon Colorstay Whipped Creme Foundation: In a nutshell, this foundation is amazing. I have very oily skin and most foundations just end up slipping off my face halfway throughout the day. I love my Covergirl 3-in-1 Stay Fabulous Foundation as well, but I can't seem to find a good color match for me right now, and everyone's beloved L'Oreal True Match Foundation is another one that slides off my face after 3-4 hours. I was really looking for a great drugstore foundation to last me ALL day long, and I found it! Revlon Colorstay Whipped easily lasts me 10-12 hours without breakdown. This foundation has a very thick and creamy consistency but blends out on the skin beautifully. It looks natural (though it is medium-full coverage) but feels lightweight on the skin which everyone wants. Though this product may look intimidating in the jar (as though it would be a prime candidate to make you look like you have cake-face) this foundation is absolutely beautiful and flawless. I have found that this best applies with a flat top kabuki brush (such as the Sigma F80) or my fingers! 

- MAC Pro Longwear Concealer: This product is nothing new; everyone and their dog loves this concealer..but for good reason. I finally broke down and bought this product after spending about one year and 3x the money trying to find a drugstore dupe. For someone who doesn't have particularly bad under-eye circles I never thought this product would be worth the $19, but I was SO wrong. Even without heavy bags or under-eyes to conceal I notice a huge difference in the way my face looks when I use this concealer (which has been just about every day since I bought it)! It highlights my under-eyes, makes my face look brighter and more awake and it stays all day long. The best part is? You only need about 1/2 a pump to cover everything! Meaning that this one tube will last you an incredible amount of time. It has an incredible consistency- though it covers everything it it extremely thin and lightweight without creasing under the eyes, and it works best for me just to blend it our with my ring finger! If you have been on the fence about this product like I was, try it. 

-Benefit Hoola Bronzer: For having such fair skin, I have definitely struggled with finding a decent bronzer for me that doesn't look too orange or too muddy on my skin. Again, not wanting to bite the bullet on purchasing a $30 bronzer, I wasted a lot of time and money on trying to find a good drugstore version. However whether it was overall bronzing or harsher contouring I was trying to go for, I always ended up being disappointed (and sometimes horrified) by the way those bronzers ended up looking on my skin throughout the day. There are definitely great drugstore bronzers out there, but for a pale, oily skinned person such as myself, oxidizing is often an issue. This bronzer is perfection for any skintone- it casts such a natural looking shadow because it has more of a taupe-undertone rather than a brown or an orange. On most days I will dust this under my cheekbones, across the jawline and on the temples with a fluffy brush (Sigma F10 Powder Brush) for an overall bronzed, glowy look. For a more precise, contoured look I apply this with the brush it came with! The short, stiff bristles make it easy to get right into the hollows of your cheeks to make a dramatic effect- just make sure to blend it out properly so you don't leave the house with warrior stripes on your face!

- theBalm Instain Blush- Swiss Dot: These Instain blushes by theBalm are not only gorgeous but a unique product as well! This is a longwearing, staining powder blush. They have a whole line of different colors but Swiss Dot is by far my favorite; a gorgeous coral-pink shade that looks perfect for spring and summer! I have been wearing this blush almost all month long and I don't anticipate myself stopping any time soon! My only word of caution is to be light-handed with these. These powder blushes have a staining power and are extremely pigmented, meaning that it is very easy to go overboard and if you do, it's too late! It will stain your cheeks and make you look like a clown. So use this lightly- a little will go a LONG way and it is incredibly easy to build up for more intense color :) 

Eyes

-Too Faced A La Mode Eyes Palette: This palette is an Ulta-exclusive Summer palette from Too Faced that I had to get my hands on! The colors are absolutely perfect for Spring and Summer- from gold and bronze to bright pink an deep navy, this palette is truly unjque in it's color selection. I have loved the crap out of this thing since I bought it and it is so much fun to play around with! There are so many color combinations in such a small package. From classic bronze to standout pink, this is one of those makeup items that you love to own because it's just so much fun to play around with! 

- theBalm Nude Tude Palette: I'm sure this palette isn't anything new to you. It's amazing..the shadows are buttery and soft (softer than my Urban Decay shadows) and the pigmentation and blend ability is out of this world! It comes with 12 shades, shimmer and matte, with a great range from light to dark for tons of color combinations. This is THE perfect palette for an every day neutral eye and I find myself turning to this palette the most out of all of the ones that I own. 

- Maybelline Eye Studio Quad- Copper Chic: This is a cheap and beautiful way to get that gorgeous copper/bronze summertime glow on the eyes. Everyone has been raving about this product for summer because the shades are just stunning! This quad makes it perfectly simple to create an everyday look with only these colors, or I've added them in with other shades to mix it up a little bit! Either way, this quad offers me my perfect go-to copper and bronze shadows.

- Maybelline Color Tattoo- Edgy Emerald: Okay, this is my first ever color tattoo and I think I'm in love. These cream shadow bases stay all day (even on my oily lids) and are super easy to use! I have been loving this shade as a pop of color on my lid (as seen in the first picture) and I have never felt so confident about wearing such a bright color on the lid! I am usually very shy towards any kind of bright color, but this blue/green is gorgeous and the perfect accent for any neutral outfit kind of day. 

Lips

- Maybelline "The Vivids"- Vibrant Mandarin: Let's start lippies off right with this unbelievable color. Oh my goodness..what to say. If you're not into bold, statement lips, then this might not be your thing. Personally, I find bright and bold lips to be a very simple way to make yourself look pulled together, and this color is perfect. This is a true middle of the road color between red and orange- it TRULY isn't either one, which I love. The Vivid collection is so pigmented and bright, I don't feel the need to wear a liner or gloss. This color is perfection for people who struggle to find their shade of red, and those a little intimidated to wear straight-up orange. Absolutely gorgeous with a creamy consistency and long staying power? Yes please.

- Kardashian Khroma Beauty Joy Stick- Sea Coral (left) & Baby Doll (right) : What can I say? I LOVE these lip products! First of all, they smell amazing. But what I was most impressed with was the feel and the finish. These lip crayons glide on so smoothly and effortlessly. They are so soft and practically melt when you put them on your lips. But even with the amount of hydration and buttery feeling they give you, it dries to an almost matte finish that is stunning. I can't quite put my finger on it...it dries matte (no shimmer or glitter or shine) but doesn't leave your lips looking flat, so there is no need to top it with a gloss. If you're not a Kardashian lover but you love makeup- try these. Get over the brand and give these a go because every makeup lover needs to have one of these in their collection. Their small and sleek packaging makes these perfect for throwing in your bag.

- Maybelline Color Whisper- Pin Up Peach (left): Not gonna lie, I'm not a huge fan of the Maybelline Color Whisper line. Generally, the colors are a little too sheer for my taste. However, the color 'Pin Up Peach' is one of the prettiest lipsticks I have EVER used. The bottom left-hand picture shows what it looks like both sheer and built up, so as you can see, you can get a fully pigmented color out of this. This lipstick is super moisturizing and glossy- it can be worn alone or topped with a gloss. Absolutely beautiful, the perfect everyday pink. 

- NYX Megashine Lip Gloss- Cosmo (middle): NYX Megashine lipglosses are nothing new to the beauty world. These glosses are creamy and buttery with no amount of stickiness or tackiness on the lips. I have been loving Cosmo this month because it's a nude gloss that has color-changing flecks, so it works well over tons of different lipsticks! My favorite way to wear this gloss has been over the 'Pin Up Peach' color as shown in the picture on the right. 

So that's everything I've been loving for the month of April! Hope you guys are finally enjoying the warm weather and happy May! :)

The Classic Bombshell Smokey Eye

The Classic Bombshell Smokey Eye

Ever wonder how to get a gorgeous smokey eye that's both day and nighttime appropriate? It's easier than you think. For a full in-depth tutorial, make sure to check out my YouTube tutorial below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwSl9xvxCdw 

For a step-by-step guide to a flawless smokey eye every time:

1. Prime Time

Make sure you prime your eyelids for this look with both an eyeshadow primer (Too Faced Shadow Insurance, Benefit Stay Don't Stray, etc.) and a light cream base (MAC Paint Pot, Maybelline Color Tattoo, etc.). Because of the dark shadows used in this look, you don't want ANY fallout; even a concealer base will work under these shadows!

2. Get Deep & Dark

Taking a dark brown eyeshadow (L'Oreal Single- Deep Mocha) and a small shader brush, press the shadow onto the lower half of your lid, concentrating on the lower half closest to your lash line. Slowly start to blend the shadow up onto the rest of your lid as to make sure there are no harsh lines, but try to keep the intensity of the shadow on the lower half of the lid.

3. Concentrate on the Crease

Taking a neutral brown color (NYX 'Blame it on Midnight', MAC 'Soft Brown') and a large fluffy brush, work the color back and forth from inner corner to outer corner in your crease until everything is blended out.

4. Add Depth

With a flat shader brush take a deep bronze eyeshadow with flecks of red (MAC 'Antiqued' or Too Faced 'Lovey Dovey') and place it all over the lid making sure to cover everything from inner corner to outer corner, lash line to crease and STOP. Make sure not to go above the crease with this shade.

5. Blend

Taking a deeper brown shade with heavy hints of red (Makeup Geek 'Cocoa Bear') and a fluffy blending brush, blend this shade between your lid shade and your crease shade. Blend from corner to corner, giving your eyes a more rounded shape for our bombshell look. Take your time with this step to make sure everything is completely blended out here before moving on.

6. Drop the Bomb(shell)

Use a black coal liner (L'Oreal Linear Intense) and smudge it along the upper lash line. This does not have to be perfect, but make sure to keep it as close to the lash line as possible so that the intensity of this look remains on the lower half of your lid.

7. Blackout

With a black eyeshadow (Wet N Wild 'Panther') and a small shader brush, smudge the shadow on top of the coal liner and begin to slowly buff it upwards onto the lid, stopping about halfway between the lash line and the crease. This step is what is going to make the look stand out the most and add the deep smokey effect to your bombshell eyes!

8. Don't Forget Downstairs

Remember, the point of a "bombshell" look is to give your eyes a very rounded, smokey look. In order to achieve this completely, don't forget to blow out your lower lashes as well- bringing the look full-circle and truly rounding out the eyes. A simple way to blow out the lower lash line is to take one of the darkest colors used on the lid and push it into your lower lash line using a pencil brush- blend back and forth until the bottom lash line is blown out.

Additional Steps:

With such a dark look, there isn't much need for eyeliner; chances are, you won't be able to see it anyway. However, if you feel that it completes the look, go for it! Also, false lashes are a great way to bring this eye look home. Even the most natural-looking falsies will add a great amount of volume and length so that your lashes aren't being swallowed by the smokey eye. 

This look is both daytime and nighttime appropriate and is incredibly easy to accomplish! Enjoy!