Random Beauty Tips #2 - Skincare Edition

Random Tips Part 2

     Alright Darlings, I couldn’t wait any longer to post a new article on random tips. Whenever I get thoughts running in my head about things I wanna share with you loves I get antsy and have absolutely no patience and I must post immediately. LoL. Well today this Random Tip article will be geared more towards skincare as oppose to makeup.

   Let’s get the party started:

    ~ When moisturizing your face, don’t forget to apply some on your brows. Just like the hairs on your head, we wash them when we cleanse and likewise we need to condition them as well.

~ Have an expensive Vitamin C serum? Or thinking of purchasing one? Vitamin C is great for the skin for it is an antioxidant that helps fight free radicals, an essential for anyone’s skincare routine. But what you don’t know is you don’t need to apply everyday. Vitamin C stays active in the skin for 48 hours. Also know that any concentration over 20% is useless. Your face is only going to absorb but so much. So any gimmicks for serums with high concentrations are just that- Gimmicks. Save your money on application and product knowledge and you will be a happy camper. ( Stay tuned for an upcoming  post : Serums 101)

~ Like to wax your body? Don’t wax your nose hairs! The inside of your nose is very vulnerable to passing infections through your bloodstream. When you wax, you can bleed risking serious infection. Your best bet is to carefully trim with mini scissors.

~ Sunblock lips and ears. While we should wear a Broad Spectrum sunblock at all times to prevent UVB & UVA damage (one of the  leading causes for skin Cancer), we should be especially aware of our lips and ears (important if you wear ponytails or have a short haircut that does not cover the ears- this applies to men too!). Not many realize that you can get cancer on your lips and on your ears because the skin is very thin.

~ Don’t pick at your scars. Constantly picking at scars or pimples may not sound like a big deal, however it doesn’t  just cause discoloration, but can also develop cancer because you don’t allow the cells to repair and heal. Cancer is permanently damaged cells that have multiplied. This is an extreme case, but if you keep picking constantly, after time those cells may not ever repair themselves. Ex: Biting on your cheek inside your mouth may not sound bad, but if you continue to chew on your cheek over and over as a habit, years later can turn a nasty habit to a serious health problem.

    These tips may be random,( I know it’s sounds like the craziest topics) but hopefully if we become conscious of the small things it can in turn make a big difference in our health.

Thanks for reading and remember any questions on what you have read are more than welcomed. See you soon my loves <3

Stay Fabulous and Fierce ~~~ XoXo MiMi

Brushes 101

   Hello my Darlings today we will be focusing on brushes. This will be your brush 101 lesson. Whether you are an aspiring Makeup Artist or just a makeup maven, it’s important to know the basics of brushes. What they are what they look like and if they have any other uses than intended. I can have 3-4 of the same brush because they are so useful for so many things. But don’t think you have to have 20,000 different brushes. Granted, as an artist I do have to have a good amount of brushes in my arsenal. I can have multiple clients in one job, or I need to not cross contaminate products. If you are just getting a collection for personal use, of course you can get away with some shortcuts.

    Let’s start with the essentials

FACE:

Foundation: There are usually  two main types of brushes that are used for foundation. You have a stippling brush and a flat foundation brush. I personally love the stippling brush, because I feel it gives a airbrush effect and leaves no streaks like the flat one can.

Flat Foundation 

Stippling Brush

Concealer: There are many types of size concealer brushes, but they usually come in the same style. The smaller size is great for smaller areas were as the larger sizes are better for larger areas.

Concealer Brush

Blush: Most blush brushes are almost always the same. You can get creative and use a kabuki brush to “buff” the blush on your cheeks.

Powder: They usually look like larger over sized blush brushes.   

Blush or Powder brush

EYES:

Shadow: There’s the typical shadow brush that will use to apply basic colors.

Crease/Blender: This is a dome like brush that allows you to apply shadow to your crease with precision. It can also be used to blend any color from lid to crease to brow bone.

Small angle: These are great for gel liners or any liner that is potted. You can even use this in shadow to apply liner. I have many in my kit, because it’s great for filling in brows too.

Blender Brush

Simple Shadow brush

Small Angle Brush

LIPS:

Lip brush: A simple lip brush. They all look the same and are usually the same size.

Lip Brush

Concealer brush from e.l.f (doubles as liner or lip brush)

 Many of these brushes showcased are from Sigma Beauty http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=95294  

Also from e.l.f   http://www.eyeslipsface.com/Default.asp

   Now remember this is a condensed basic list of essential brushes everyone should have. There are a lot more to choose from. And by all means please experiment. That is after all where all the fun is. Now while I do like brushes from all sources, I do believe in investing in the large brushes. You must have a good foundation and powder brush. You need one that will give the best results and won’t shed. The last thing you need is to put your powder on and you have brush hairs all over your face. Or that you have to pick the hairs off your clients face. That is such a No No!

   With the other brushes you can get creative. For example: I can get a fabulous quality eyeliner brush at Joann’s Fabrics. I sometimes find the e.l.f concealer brushes good for small tasks, like eyeliner or lips. Do be careful about the brands you choose. Don’t always think because it has a big name behind it that it’s automatically great quality. 

    With all this said again it is all about having fun. Let me know what brands work for you. I’m always in the lookout for incredible finds.

Stay Fabulous and Fierce ~~~ XoXo MiMi

Your 10 Step Beauty Routine!

  Everyone needs a routine. Routines help everyday tasks go by smoother and faster. Your makeup routine should be no different. I’m a busy mom to a 15 month old, a wife, a student and a business owner. I NEED a system that works for my schedule without compromising  quality. There is a 10 step beauty routine I implement not only in my personal life but also into my work.

   It’s a routine I also teach to many of my clients who are looking to simplify what they do.

Steps:

1. Skincare- Whether you are getting ready in the morning or any other time in the day, you should always start with a fresh canvas. Cleanse, tone, and moisturize. Use an oil- free primer after moisturizing. It will assist in the duration of your makeup while also enhancing a smooth texture for your skin.

2. Correct/Conceal- Correct dark circles with a corrector. Pink-tones neutralize pinky/blue darkness while peach- tones neutralize purple/brown darkness. Use green based corrector to neutralize and red spot on your face.

Conceal to brighten and to hide any blemishes. Use a concealer 1-2 shades lighter than your skin tone. Don’t forget to conceal your lips too. It’ll neutralize any tones on your lips that can alter your lipstick shade and it will also prolong your lipstick wear.

3. Foundation- Use a foundation brush of choice (I prefer a stippling brush) to apply and blend product on your skin. Don’t forget to use any residual product on brush to blend onto your neck area. We’re not looking for a full coverage of the neck, but it will help cut any differentiation of the shade of your face and neck. (Neck can look lighter than your face).

4. Powder/Bronzer- To seal in your foundation, take a powder brush to your loose or pressed powder and pat powder onto your skin. As mentioned in a previous blog entry, swiping can risk wiping off your freshly applied foundation.

With bronzer, try to stay away from shades too dark or that contains shimmer. Shimmer can be fun sometimes, but for every day wear you want something more natural. If your pick something too dark, you run the risk of looking too fake. Place bronzer over cheeks, forehead, nose, and chin(where the sun naturally hits) Use a powder brush as well for this step, however if you don’t have a separate brush for bronzer, lightly clean any blush residue with Kleenex or even a brush cleaning wipe (you can find these at any beauty supply store).
5. Blush- It’s blush time! Take your favorite blush and apply to the apples of your cheeks and swipe upward towards your temples. Don’t smile like thought before. Smiling can give a false sense of where your apples and can make you apply the  blush too low.

6. Brows- Groom, and fill in your brows. Whether you are using an angled brush with a shadow (close to your hair color, but never black) or using a pencil, use small natural strokes. You don’t to look like you painted an entire new brow. Even if you did fill in quite a bit, you can still make it look natural. If hair is unruly or just a lil’ curly, use clear mascara to set in place. It’ll act as gel for your brows.

7. Eye Shadow- Always prime lid with an eye shadow primer of choice. Then apply your fav shade in the design you want. Smokey, natural, elaborate or just simple, GO FOR IT HONEY! Eye shadow is one of the easiest and fun ways to express your individuality, mood, and style.

8. Eye Liner- Whether it’s barely there, thick line, or a wing, this is another way to express yourself and to compliment the work you’ve just created with your shadows. If you choose to line your bottom line, make sure to meet the bottom line with the top. Any gaps between the two can distract from your look.

9. Lashes-  When working with your lashes you want to curl them with a lash curler. This may not be necessary if you already have curly lashes. Next you want to apply mascara. I always start with the top of my lashes. Do this to prevent any multi coloring action going on when you blink with the mascara shade and your natural lash shade. After coating top of lash you can coat the bottom of your lashes. I do 2-3 coats depending on formula. Some can have a wet consistency, with those use 1-2 coats. Anymore can be asking for some major clumping. If you are going to apply falsies you can now. Once on and dry add a light coat of mascara to blend your natural lashes to the fakes. Now apply 1 coat to your bottom lashes, making sure to not get any on your skin. If you do get any on your skin or lid, you can just take a clean shadow brush a gently wipe away.

10. Lipstick and Gloss- Choose your fav lip color and complimenting lip gloss. This will be the icing on the cake that is your fabulous complete face.

Like with anything this will take practice. But when you do practice and implement these steps in order, it will make your routine go much easier and faster.

Hope this helps. Tell me what works for you. I love to hear comments and advice <3

Stay Fabulous and Fierce ~~~ XoXo MiMi

Random Puppy Post!!!!

Gotta Love it!!!

Product Review: KROMA Makeup Lip Gloss

    Hello again my beauties. Yesterday I reviewed KROMA Makeup's fabulous all natural mineral based foundation. Today as promised I wanted to write a review on KROMA Makeup Lip Glosses. 
    I am obsessed with lip gloss. I don’t always wear lipstick, but if I do I always pair it with lip gloss, so it’s a must in my arsenal. When I first tried their lip gloss I immediately noticed and appreciated that it is not at all sticky in texture. I hate sticky lip gloss. When ever I have on sticky lip gloss I can never kiss someone without worrying if I left a huge lip mark on their cheek. My hubby doesn’t even like to kiss me when I wear nasty lip gloss. So to have a nice soft texture was lovely. Next, it had this very moisturizing feeling. While moisturizing, it was also lightweight, so it felt as if I was just wearing lip balm.
    KROMA Makeup Lip Gloss won huge points with me on the lasting power. I’m a lip licker. I always lick my lips, and this gloss did not budge! The colors were vibrant and stayed true on my lips. I have naturally red lips and I always use concealer to neutralize my lip tone so that what ever lip product I put on, it last and keeps it’s intended color. Today I tried it without and concealer, yet the color stayed true. I did not see any fading or altering of any sort.
     As mentioned in my last blog their all natural ingredients makes the experience even more ridiculously fab.
    To recap KROMA Makeup Lip Glosses:
      ~ Moisturizing
      ~ Non- sticky, smooth texture
      ~ Vibrant shades
      ~ Long lasting
      ~ And all natural!



1. Bermuda   2. Coral Reef     3.Oasis



                    



Again check out
 http://www.kromamakeup.com/

         &

http://www.facebook.com/kromamakeup

Enjoy my Loves. If you try them, let me know your thoughts.
Stay Fabulous and Fierce  ~~~ XoXo MiMi