Lipstick Trend: Deep Berry/Burgundy Lip

One of my favorite lip trends that's been going on since Fall is a deep berry or burgundy lip. I love how it ads a dramatic twist to the classic red lip, yet it still attains the same sexy and sultry appeal that the red lip has. It's another great way to quickly ad drama to any boring makeup look. I love pairing it with a cat eye and some mascara. It creates a gorgeous makeup look in under 5 minutes!

These are some of my favorite berry / burgundy lipsticks that are all under $3.00!!

Dupe for the Urban Decay Naked Palette

I couldn't believe the resemblence between the Profusions Bare and Smokey Eye Palette in comparison to the Urban Decay Naked Palette. I'm sure all of my makeup lovers have heard plenty of the UD Naked Palette...along with the expensive price tag that goes with it. So why has it taken so long for the Profusion Palette to be found??

Between the Smokey and Bare Palettes from Profusion their wasn't a single color from the UD Naked Palette that it didn't have a dupe for (as shown in the pic above). A majority of the colors weren't nearly as pigmented as the Urban Decay eyeshadows, but some still went on pigmented when I used a primer with it.

For more details and comparisons between the palettes: 

Tips & Tricks For Flawless Looking Skin Using Makeup

I always get different questions on the products I use to transform my under eye circles and blemish filled face into a smooth and oil free complexion. Here are my tips and tricks:

1) Moisturize + Prime your skin - Moisturizers keep your skin looking plump and hydrated while primers help fill in any wrinkles or pores so that the foundation goes on as smooth as possible. Just be sure to wait at least 5 mins to put on your foundation after you put on moisturizer so that your skin has a chance to absorb the moisture.

2) Highlight your under eyes using a concealer - Rather than just swiping some concealer on the darkest part of the skin under your eyes, opt for a concealer a shade or two lighter than your skin tone and apply it along the side of your nose and connect it to the highest part of your cheek bone and then fill it in to your under eyes (your creating a triangle shape as shown in the pic above). This creates a more natural highlight while concealing those nasty dark bags under the eyes!

3) Buff in your foundation - Really take the time to buff in the foundation, finishing with small sections that you normally wouldn't take the time to buff in to perfection. My favorite brush to use is a kabuki brush or a beauty blender sponge for an airbrushed natural finish.

4)  Set your Foundation and Concealer - Applying powders over your liquid foundation and concealer is one of the best ways to prevent the oils in your face from showing up and ruining your makeup. The powders will work as a sponge and absorb the oil throughout the day so powder up your faces ladies!!

5) Makeup Setting Sprays - Finish of your look with a few spritz's of your favorite makeup setting spray to assure your makeup will stay on all day and night. This step is especially helpful if the weather is hot or you know that you'll sweat a lot in your makeup.

Minimum Makeup Essentials

 

    Even those of us who have an addiction to makeup still have our moments where we simply just don't have enough time to sit down and recreate Saturday night's makeup look. Whether you're short on time or just don't have the energy to use much makeup, there's still a few essential products that every women can depend on to go from drab to fab in minutes!

     The main focus should be on achieving bright and awake looking under eyes, defined eyes, and a healthy skin complexion. The formula to achieve all this is concealer, mascara, and a few skin products!

Let's start with concealer. This product is essential for canceling out any under eye circles to instantly make you look more awake and healthy...not to mention you can cover up any other blemishes on the face (aka hello flawless looking skin!).

Mascara is a key product to go from plain looking eyes to something with definition. It takes literally seconds to swipe on a coat of mascara but the results are astonishingly significant.

And who doesn't want flawless skin? The best part about this is you can incorporate these steps into your daily routines so that your not wasting any time. If you have dry skin then you'll want to use a moisturizer so that your skin looks hydrated at all times. But what if you have oily skin? Just pat an oil blotting sheet all over your skin to absorb any oil.

If your willing to use an extra makeup product than you can brush some powder over wherever your skin gets oily (usually the tzone) to absorb oil throughout the day or to cover any blemishes.

Using these products takes only a small amount of time...but the difference from using them will make a huge difference!

Secrets of Makeup

     We've all seen the before and after pictures of someone with and without makeup and the unbelievable difference between the two. But why aren't you seeing that same difference on yourself after blending foundation on foundation, eyeliner, and lipstick? Their are so many hidden secrets that celebrity makeup artists use on their clients to make it look like they've gotten hours of sleep, perfectly contoured and highlighted cheek bones, and the most voluptuous lips. So what are the steps to achieving the hollywood secret makeup techniques that transform our faces into perfection??

Step 1

To assure silky smooth looking skin you want to moisturize regularly and apply a primer onto your skin first. Primers create a smooth surface for your foundation to sit on and last longer throughout the day.

Step 2

Contouring your face is one of the easiest ways to not only slim it down, but make it seem like you've been blessed with perfect genetics of a flawlessly sculpted face. By running a matte brown bronzer down the hollows of your cheek bones, jawline, temples, and sides of your nose, you will transform your face into a slim and defined masterpiece.

Contouring and Highlighting 

Step 3

Highlighting your skin creates the illusion that the light is always hitting your face at the perfect angle. This is a key technique that celebrities use on the red carpet. Their are so many simple ways to obtain the highlight whether its by using a light shimmery powder or a concealer a few shades to light for you on the tops of your cheekbones, center of your nose, and top of your cupids bow. 

Step 4

Filling in your eyebrows is a must for many of use who are in between eyebrow appointments. A huge mistake many women make is filling in their eyebrows with a product the same shade as their eyebrows. You only want to use the same shade if you are drawing in your brows. To fill them in you want to use a product about 5-6 shades lighter than your brown color to assure they look elegantly bold yet not overpowering or too dramatic. The most natural technique is to apply the brow powder (you can use eyeshadow) with a small angled brush in small strokes in the natural direction your brow hair would grow. Finish it of by grooming them in place with a clear brow gel. 

Step 5

Theirs a few different techniques you can use to make your lips look fuller and more defined. Lip liner is one of the easiest ways to even out your lips because you can literally draw on whatever shape you want. You want to use a lipliner the same shade as your lips to draw them on, and you want to use a lip liner one shade to dark for you in order to outline the edges to create a pout. Drawing a line down the center of your bottom lip will help create more of a pout. Lipgloss is also a great product to use to make your lips look fuller. Dab some onto the center of your lips or apply a lipgloss a few shades lighter than the one you've already got on your lips to create the illusion of voluptuous lips. 

Click For Step by Step Video on Contouring and Highlighting