How to Wear Red Lipstick

Many women, and sometimes even men, break out the red lipstick during the holiday season! So, with the holidays right around the corner, I figured this was an essential post for those who feel like they just can't pull off the striking red lipstick!

Red lipstick is a timeless and beautiful makeup product that can easily be worn the wrong way. It is classy and sophisticated and must be worn correctly in order to pull it off. 

Find Out What Shade is Right For You

Red lipstick comes in a variety of different shades. It's very easy to pick the wrong color for your skin type. 

If you have fair skin, you should find a "true red". Avoid reds with orange undertones.

Medium skin tones should look for those orangey reds. You can even wear reds that are more towards the pink side.

If you have dark skin, look for the darker shades. You can go for wine reds and even reds with purple hues.

Wear Lip Liner

Lip liner is a must with red lipstick. It locks the bold color in place so that the color will not "bleed" out onto the outer areas of your lips. Make sure to match the lip liner as well as you can to the color of the lipstick.

Makeup Choice

The other makeup products you choose to wear on your face has a lot to do with if your red lipstick will look good. Your lips will be the main part of the show - remember that. If you choose to wear eye shadow, don't wear much and choose a neutral color. Don't pack on the blush either. You don't want bright red lips and bright pink cheeks. It's just too much!

Outfit Choice

Because red is such a bold color, you will have to base your entire outfit off of the color of your lips. You never wants to wear red lipstick with an outfit that has many different colors. It's so easy for your outfit to clash with your lips. Black and browns are best color choices when wearing a red lip. A solid black dress would look awesome with a red lip. Try wearing jeans with ballet flats and a leather jacket with a red lip. Neutrals are the way to go with this bold statement. It's very easy to ruin the effect of a red lipstick with the color clothes you choose to wear. Tip - never wear pink with a red lipstick.

Pearly Whites

One thing red lipstick is very good at is accentuating teeth color. Whether your teeth are very white or very yellow, this lipstick color will make that very noticeable. I love the look of red lips, but never felt confident enough to wear it because my teeth just weren't up to my expectations. I began to whiten my teeth and it definitely helped my problem. It doesn't hurt to begin whitening your teeth regularly. A beautiful red lip will look even more gorgeous with pearly, white teeth.

Makeup Brush Cheat Sheet

A lot of the time, the key to a perfect face are the tools you use to apply your makeup. A simple brush can change the way your makeup looks dramatically. If you are like me, I used to use my fingers for everything. I was intimidated by all of the different types of makeup brushes out there. Well, to help your curious mind, here is a little cheat sheet of what certain types of brushes can be used for!

Sponge

Not really a brush but definitely an essential tool. This is used to apply liquid foundation and concealers. It leaves skin with a smooth and flawless finish.

Powder Brush

This brush is used to apply powder to your face. It can also be used to blend out bronzer or blush to create a more flawless look.

Kabuki Brush

These types of brushes usually look like a normal powder brush but with a very small handle. Applying bronzer is a good use for this brush as the small handle gives you more control. It can also be used like a powder brush.

Flat Contour Brush

This flat brush is an amazing tool at giving you a very chiseled contour. It gets the product right where it needs to be giving your a face a very contoured look. 

Flat Foundation Brush

Many people love using this kind of brush for applying liquid foundation. Some wet the brush before use to prevent streaks.

Domed Brush

These are essential for creating rosy cheeks! Use this brush to apply blush to the apples of your cheeks. 

Duo Fiber Brush

Duo fiber brushes have many uses. It's feathery-like tip is awesome for limiting the amount of product added to your skin. You can use it to apply brush, bronzer, and even highlighter.

Angled Brush

This brush is another good brush for applying blush. It's angled bristles are perfect for adding blush to your cheeks and even good for sweeping bronzer on your cheekbones. 

Fan Brush

You can use these types of brushes to add a distinct glow to the high points of your face using highlighter. You can also use this to sweep away excess powder.

Flat Synthetic Brush

This can also have many different uses. It's good for applying concealer to the areas needed and it can also be used to pack on eye shadow to your eye lid.

Angled Eye Brush

If you are one to fill in your eyebrows, one of these will be needed in your collection! It's great for applying product to your brows.

Blending Eye Brush

The blending brush is very needed when wearing eye shadow. Using one of these to blend out any harsh lines of product on your eyes will give you a rocking eye shadow look!

Liquid Foundation vs. Powder Foundation

I consider myself to be the type of girl that enjoys wearing makeup on most days of the week! I like to wake up early, have time to myself and sit at my vanity to put my makeup on for the day. With my senior year of high school beginning soon, I wanted to get as much sleep as I could and didn't want to have to wake up an hour earlier to do my makeup, but, I also wanted my face to look as though I had makeup on. So, I was kind of in a predicament deciding whether I should wake up earlier to get the look I wanted or to just go without makeup on. Well, I found a solution!

I've always watched tutorials and videos of others using something called "powder foundation" but I had never tried it myself! I always liked the way my skin looked when I used liquid foundation. But, with school creeping around the corner, I figured it was time to try something new that could speed up my makeup application in the mornings! Powder foundation was definitely the way to go. I compared the two types of foundations, liquid and powder, to help you get an idea of what you think you would rather!

Liquid Foundation

I find that liquid foundation gives me more of a matte look, which I like especially when my skin is feeling a bit oily. It gives amazing coverage and fills lines and wrinkles helping them to look less noticeable. Liquid foundations could work for most skin types. You can easily find one that will work for your specific needs. There are so many different kinds of them such as ones that help your face stay matte, ones that help your face look dewy, and even some with SPF in it to provide protection for your face.

Pros

• Excellent coverage
• Keeps skin moisturized
• Easier to apply and blend

Cons

• Takes more time 
• Can get messy
• May clog pores and cause acne

Powder Foundation

Powder Foundation has become my best friend recently, I have tried both mineral and pressed powder foundation and find that I get a lot more coverage when using a mineral foundation. It helps me get the look I want without the hassle and mess of liquid foundation. It takes patience as you have to apply layer after layer until you get the look desired but is well worth it when you see your skin looks flawless but also looks like you have no makeup on at all! I feel as though powder foundation would be best for oily skin types as it will help absorb and control your facial oils. Using it on dry skin can accentuate the dryness causing dry patches. 

Pros

• Provides a more natural look
• Absorbs oil so helps your face stay matte
• Can be reapplied throughout the day
• Not as messy

Cons

• Requires a brush which can be challenging for beginners
• May settle into lines and wrinkles

Bare Face

Powder Foundation

Liquid Foundation

 

Cleaning Your Makeup Brushes

Let's be honest, most of us probably say we clean our makeup brushes more than we actually do. Some of us may not even clean our makeup brushes at all! But cleaning your makeup brushes regularly is an essential thing to do for you makeup lovers who wear makeup daily and especially those with acne prone skin. 

Three Reasons to Wash Your Makeup Brushes

Old Makeup

Each day you add more product to those brushes. All of that old makeup builds up day after day and then you continue to rub those brushes onto your face which is a huge no-no.

Dead Skin Cells

As gross as it sounds, dead skin cells fall off your face each time you rub a brush onto your face. It is important to rid those skin cells off of your brushes.

Bacteria and Oil

Bacteria and Oil are huge factors in acne. Bacteria and oil can clog your pores causing you to get unwanted breakouts. Leaving your brushes sitting can cause bacteria to build up and oil is caused by the constant rubbing on your face.

How to Clean Your Makeup Brushes

What You Will Need

Water
Dish Soap
Olive Oil (optional)

Cleaning Process

Fill a bowl with room temperature water. Add a few drops of dish soap to the water. You can also add Olive Oil into the solution to condition your brushes as some believe the soap dries out the bristles, but that is completely optional. Mix the solution together until the soap has spread completely. Dip your makeup brush into the bowl and gently rub the bristles onto the palm of your hand. You will see that the product that was on your brush easily rubs off onto your hand! You can gently rinse the brush with clean water and then repeat the process until you feel your brush is as clean as you can get it. To dry, you can lay out a wash cloth and let your brushes sit and dry completely. It is important not to rub your brushes on the wash cloth as that can ruin the bristles. 

Purple Blue Eye Shadow Tutorial

I wanted to do a tutorial that is really out of my element! I am not one to usually wear crazy colors on my eye but I know that many people out there are interested in these looks. I created this beautiful look with a pretty blue that fades into a nice purple color. I used eye shadows from the brand Makeup Geek in this look today. Makeup Geek is an awesome brand for all types of products. I hope you enjoy it enough to want to recreate it!

I started off, of course, priming my eye lids with the Mac Paint Pot in the shade Soft Ocre. I then applied my transition shade onto my crease. The transition shade I used was Makeup Geek's Peach Smoothie.

To make the blue color pop, I applied a white base down to help bring out the color I put on top of it. I used NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in the shade Milk.

I then applied Makeup Geeks Neptune onto my lid using a flat brush. I packed that on to make it as vibrant as possible.

I added Makeup Geeks Creme Brulee on top of my transition shade to help the shade I am about to apply to blend out even easier.

Here's my favorite part! I applied Makeup Geeks Masquerade onto my crease and slowly built up and blended using a fluffy brush. My camera flushed out some of the color but it was a lot more vibrant and bright in person.

I took some liquid eyeliner and made a small line on my upper lash line.

Here's my second favorite part! I put on my favorite lashes by Ardell. These are the Ardell 110 lashes.

For my lower lash line, I simply used a pencil brush to apply the shade Neptune and then blended that out using the Masquerade color very softly. I then took a black pencil eyeliner and applied on my lower water line for the finishing touch.

Cream Contouring

Contouring is a great way to define your facial features and create dimension. It has become very popular recently in the makeup world! You have most likely heard of contouring using powders, which is the most common way of doing it! But, cream contouring has become popular as well. Today I am here to show you a step-by-step tutorial of how to achieve that contoured look using cream products!

Find the Hollows of your Cheeks

What you are going to want to do first is find the areas where you should apply a contour shade to create the look. A trick to do this is to use a pencil or a makeup brush and roll it down your cheek until you find the hollows of your cheek. You will feel your pencil/brush roll into that indent. The hollows of your cheek are usually found from an ear near the top of your ear to the corner of your mouth!

Apply the Contour Products

After I applied my foundation, I applied my products onto where I need them to go. I used a concealer that's darker than my skin tone for the contour shades. I used a concealer that is a shade lighter than my skin tone as my highlight shade. I applied the darker concealer to the hollows of my cheek bones, around my temple area, and to the sides of my nose to help my nose appear thinner. The lighter shade of concealer is used in the places where you would like to highlight your face to make it seem lifted and defined. I like to use the Dot Technique to apply my concealer because I find it helps to limit the amount of product used and it is easier to blend out!

Blend, Blend, Blend

I like to blend my highlight shade out first because I find it easier to blend out the contour shade after the highlight is done. You can use a brush or a sponge for this step!

Blend, Blend, Blend

After my highlight shade is blended, I then go in with a brush and blend out that cream contour.

Baking

Baking is crucial to me while contouring because it helps to clean up the contour and create a sharper edge which really helps with the effect of a defined face. I used a dry sponge and loaded it with translucent powder and pat it on my face where I wanted the contour to look cleaner. After a few minutes, use a brush to dust off that powder and your contour will look a lot sharper.

Finish Your Look

After I baked, I went in with powder contour shades and lightly dusted it right on top of where I applied the creams. This helps "set" the cream products and stops it from sweating or smearing off throughout the day!

Naked 2 Palette Eye Shadow Tutorial

A few girls that I go to school with requested that I do a tutorial using one of the Urban Decay Naked Palettes. These palettes a really common palette that many people starting out with makeup first buy! The only Naked palette I actually have is the Naked 2, so I created a look using that palette. I hope you enjoy it!

1. The first thing I did was apply Mac Paint Pot in the shade Soft Ocre to the eyelid. This is a good step to ensure that the eye shadow will stay in place all day. Next, I applied Foxy to the entire lid to set that cream and this will also help the eye shadows blend easier.

2. The next shade I applied was my transition shade. A transition shade is good to have because it makes it easier for you to blend shadows onto the crease. I used the shade Tease for my transition shade.

3. I darkened that crease up using the shade Ydk using a small pencil brush.

4. Using the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk, I applied that to my lid and blended it out. I applied this because it enhances any color that you put on top of it. You will see that in the next step.

5. I took the shade Chopper and packed that right on top of that white base. The white color helped the shimmery color appear more opaque and helped its true color and potential to appear.

6. This is a completely optional step. It basically brings the look from a daytime look to a night time look! I took the shade Blackout and darkened up the outer crease to create more of a smokey appearance. I then blended it all using a big fluffy brush.

7. I applied a dramatic wing eyeliner using a NYX Liquid Liner. This is also an optional step!

8. For the finishing touches, I applied mascara to the top lashes. For the lower lash line, I took a brown pencil eyeliner and lined the outer half of my lower lash line and then smoked it out using a pencil brush. I applied mascara to the lower lashes and then I was done!

Color Correcting

I'm sure many of you have noticed that a wide variety of colored concealer have appeared on makeup aisles all around you. You may now see concealers in shades of red, yellow and even green! If you didn't know, each color concealer has a specific issue in which they are best suited for. Today, I am here to tell you all about what each color does and how to use them!

I know I am not the only one that hates waking up to an unwanted blemish, face full of redness, and noticeable dark circles under my eyes! The days that I wake up to these unfriendly things are the days that I thank the lord for concealer! Concealer is a very common makeup item used in many people's daily lives! It is used to cover/conceal any complexion concern that we may have. Color correcting is an awesome technique used by many to neutralize the complexion concerns we may have on our skin and make them appear gone. It is amazing for people with rosacea, acne, and severe fatigue. This is how I use color correcting concealers to fit my preferred face appearance.

Bare Face

This is what my bare face looks like right when I wake up. I got lucky today with minimal redness, blemishes and not too dark circles.

Green Concealer

Green and red are complementary colors on the color wheel, therefore, applying green concealer to the red areas of your skin will cancel out the red covering it up much easier than skin tone concealer.  

Peach/Orange Concealer

Depending on what color skin tone you have, will decide if you will use an orange or a peach concealer. If you have a deeper skin tone, orange would suit you better and if you have a lighter skin tone, peach will be the better option. If you look at the complementary color for orange, you will see that it is blue. The undertones of dark circles/fatigue bags under the eyes are a slight purple and blue. The colors orange and peach will neutralize the darkness.

Yellow Concealer

Many see yellow as an unnecessary step, but I like to use yellow concealer to cover up blemishes or acne scars. The complementary color to yellow is blue-violet which happens to be similar to the colors of pimples and scars. So if you ever need to cover up that pesky pimple or dark acne scar, yellow will do an amazing job of it.

Buff it out

I then took a brush and buffed/blended out that concealer. I didn't blend it too much but blended it enough to wear it wasn't all in one place.

Foundation

Once you finish your color correcting, you can then apply your foundation and finish your makeup routine as you normally would. You will see that your skin looks even more flawless than usual!