What Goes On Must Come Off

After a long day of wearing makeup and exposure to the environmental conditions, my skin begs for some pampering, but my regimen is nothing fancy.

I start with an oil-based cleanser like Ponds Cold Cream or even a dab of Cold Pressed Coconut Oil along with a facial or baby wipe; a trick for me that pretty much removes everything, including my eye makeup.  Then I cleanse, tone and moisturize (twice daily) along with the weekly exfoliation. 

I generally, use the Aveeno Positively Radiant or Clear Complexion line to address my skin’s needs in order to keep it healthy, refreshed and hydrated.

How about you? 

When to Splurge vs When to Save - Part II

Knowing when to splurge on designer cosmetics or save with drugstore products can help you better allocate your beauty budget and get the most out of every dollar.  So below is the second half of the 2-part series of When to Splurge vs When to Save!!!

4. Lip Gloss

Designer or Drugstore: Drugstore

This is a definite bargain purchase, you don’t need the pigment you do from lipstick, and almost all lip glosses have the same formulas and contain the same ingredient combination. Go cheap and buy a few different colors.

NYX, Milani, L'Oreal and Sacha are the recurring lip glosses in my stash

  

5. Concealer and Foundation

 Designer or Drugstore: Either

Skin-colored makeup relies on too many factors to declare a winner, especially since you could potentially find your perfect match and coverage level just about anywhere though it may require a lot of experimenting. Oh experimenting is necessary because the worst thing is to commit to a costly foundation and the color matching is all wrong.

L'Oreal's Infallible Pro Matte Foundation and LA Girl's HD Pro Concealer are the ones for me - come on they are excellent products in a wide range of shades at great prices, so that's a big save for me.

6. Eyeshadow and Eyeliners

Designer or Drugstore: Either

I think a combination of designer neutral shades and drugstore trendy colors is best – you get great coverage for everyday looks, but can still spice things up without committing to a pricey palette.

As for eyeliners, they perform basically the same as I usually go for the fine-line pens.

My splurge here would definitely be my Urban Decay Naked3 palette but in the mix there is Maybelline's Color Tattoo and L'Oreal's Colour Riche Eye Shadow which are steals in comparison.

Oh as for eyeliner...that may always remain a big savings for me with my Jordana Fabuliner, an essential of mine for years. 

Let me know down below...When do you splurge or steal the bargain???

Warm Bronze - Drugstore Makeup Tutorial

Hi beautiful dolls, I came across two awesome tutorials that I wanted to share.

These looks were achieved using drugstore brands such as Black Opal, LA Girl, E.L.F., NYX, L'Oreal, Milani, Maybelline and even Black Radiance; all of which are available in our local beauty stores. 

Check them out and put our skills to the test...I know you will love it.

When to Splurge vs When to Save - Part I

Sometimes, you can justify the extra cost of designer makeup based on the added benefits of pricier brands, such as increased pigmentation, better fragrance, or a better applicator. However, as this is not always the case, I thought it best to share with you - in 2 parts - When to Spurlge vs When to Save!!!

1. Blush

Designer or Drugstore: Drugstore

Many powder-based blushes have the same ingredients; you really don’t need to splurge on pricey designer brands.

NYX and Milani are my go to blushes.

2. Mascara

Designer or Drugstore: Either

Personally, mascara is one of my favorite products. Therefore, I’m sometimes willing to pay more for a designer brand that I know and love – the cost per wear is fairly low, even with the added premium of a designer name tag.  Thing is mascara is one of the most common makeup products at the drugstore, so there are plenty to try on a budget.  The trick is to find the best mascara that gives you what you need.

My designer mascara is Too Faced - Better Than Sex and my drugstore fav is Maybelline's Colossal Glam Black

3. Lipstick

Designer or Drugstore: Designer

A good lipstick relies on excellent pigmentation and good wear throughout the day. Buying a more expensive lipstick can get you ideal color payoff again and again, so it’s often worth splurging. You tend to benefit from add-ins such as shea butter and other moisturizers the better brands include. However, you can nab cheaper shades for trendy colors you want to try, but aren’t yet willing to commit to.

So my Dose of Colors - Berry Me is usually my big splurge, however at TTD20 a pop LA Girl's Matte Flat Velvet Lipstick has recently stolen the show for me...lol

Look out for Part II of this series...

Let's Set this in Motion

We all know how much effort it takes to apply a face full of makeup, and there’s nothing more annoying than seeing the remnants of your hard work slide down your face by the end of the day.

That’s where makeup setting spray comes in handy. Like hairspray for your face, these facial mists will prevent your makeup from budging for hours (seriously, even through heat, workouts and a night out.)

My fav is the NYX Matte Finish but I do recommend that you check this video out as this youtuber goes through several great budget friendly makeup setting spays. 

Mastering the Blush and Bronzer Duo

As a follow up to the Highlighting and Contouring post - hope you ladies have been experimenting - it is only fitting to look at the getting that extra pop without breaking the bank.

It should go without saying - a light touch is required with your bronzer and even your blush.  One general rule is that colour can always be added, but it’s much more difficult to subtract it.

Before applying bronzer, tap off any excess product from the brush, and then sweep on your bronzer, using a back-and-forth motion. For blush, gently taps the brush onto the apples and then swirl the blush into the bronzer, connecting the two for a seamless and desired finish.

Time To Make It Pop

Highlighting and contouring are two crafty lil tricks that you can use to enhance your bone structure and make it look like you’re constantly under the most flattering movie lighting possible. Even if you’re not going to an event, it’s fun to experiment with elements of ~drama~ in your makeup.

Just one note on picking your contour and highlight colours - don’t choose shades that are drastically lighter or darker than your natural skin tone.

Fair skin - use a very light shade to highlight and a fair to medium colour to contour.

Medium to Dark skin - use a medium-toned highlight and a contour slightly deeper than your skin colour.

Dark skin – use a dark eye shadow if you can’t find a deeper shade of foundation to contour.