Category Archives: good

Pick of the Week…Makeup Remover Facial Towelettes

It’s late. You’re tired. You’re too lazy to take off your makeup. All you want to do is flop face down on your cold fluffy pillow and clock out. There’s only one problem. That voice in your head nagging at you about the breakout you’ll probably wake up with because you slept with your makeup on. The solution? Makeup remover facial towelettes. It’s a fast, convenient way to remove all your makeup and sleep stress free. It’s ideal to remove makeup and thoroughly cleanse your face and moisturize every night, but let’s be honest…it doesn’t happen that way.



Here I review my top 3 picks for facial towelettes. The first is MAC Cosmetics Wipes (maccosmetics.com, $19.50). These remove makeup very well, have natural botanicals to help sooth and brighten skin, and have glycerin to attract moisture. The second is the Yes to Cucumbers Facial Towelettes (Drug Stores, $7). I love these wipes because they have Dead Sea salt which help to tone, brighten and clarify skin for a radiance boost. The third pick is The Body Shop Tea Tree Wipes (www.thebodyshop-usa.com, $12). In the summer, my skin tends to get a little oily and I break out occasionally. Tea Tree helps to keep skin clean and clear of acne without stripping any natural moisture.

Enjoy my video review of my top 3 makeup remover facial towelettes!

Pick of the Week…The Body Shop Seaweed Scrub

Body Shop Pore Cleansing Seaweed Facial Exfoliator
Ingredients from the ocean are my favorite for face and body. They brighten, clarify, add radiance, and minimize pores. My pick this week is the Body Shop Seaweed Scrub ($14.50). This facial exfoliator is for normal/combination to oily skin. My skin gets oily in the summer, so I have to keep a close eye on my oil balance. Just a little excess oil can cause a breakout. The main purpose of the Seaweed Scrub is to minimize pores by sloughing away excess oils, dirt and dead skin before you cleanse your face. Here is my video review and demo of The Body Shop Seaweed Scrub:

Pick of the Week…Best Drug Store Mascara

I really didn’t want to hop on the “Lash Blast” Bandwagon, but I decided to give it a try (mostly beacause it was orange). I had returned every drug store mascara I purchased because they were all pretty horrible, but this one’s a keeper! It wasn’t clumpy, flaky or dry. It separated, volumized dramatically and lengthened my lashes. This will definitely be the mascara in my makeup artist kit. LOVES IT!!! Watch my tutorial below that shows my very first time using Cover Girl Lash Blast Mascara.

List of products (all purchased at Target):
Cover Girl “Tropical Fusion” shadow quad -avg. msrp, $4.50
Cover Girl Lash Blast Volume Mascara “Black Brown” -avg. msrp, $6
Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Stain “Cherry Pop” -avg. msrp, $6
Maybelline Shine Sensational Lip Gloss “Peach Sorbet” -avg. msrp, $5
Sonya Kashuk tapered blending brush -$10.99
Sonya Kashuk blending brush -$7.99

Looking Greasy in the Club?

 In the 6 or so years I’ve maintained social networking profiles, I noticed a horrible epidemic plaguing a lot of young women:  pictures of them in night clubs were REALLY bad. Their heads were whiter than their bodies and their faces were greasy looking. Camera flash is not very generous to our features, but super generous to our flaws. All these pretty girls were looking deathly ill.

I didn’t go to school for makeup artistry, so everything I know is basically through trial and error. Here are some things I’ve learned about flash photography:

DO contour appropriately
DO use a foundation and powder a couple shades darker than your skin tone, or cover your neck and shoulders with your normal foundation
DO use matte finish foundations, concealers and powders. This includes blush. Eye makeup isn’t as important to be matte, but it does make a more beautiful picture.

DON’T use shimmery finishes on your face. This will make you look greasy and gross.
DON’T use foundations or concealers with pink undertones. This will make you look pale or ashy.

Here is the difference between a do and a don’t:
DO
I used a matte finish foundation, concealer, powder and blush.
A light colored lip gloss with no shimmer and minimal glitter will accentuate you natural lip color.
On my eyes is just a black crayon that I blended upwards. I didn’t use a highlighter.
When you contour correctly, there’s no need to highlight.
DON’T
I used my normal radiant finish foundation with a satin finish concealer.
I used a shimmery loose powder followed by a sheer coral blush and shimmery highlighter on my cheekbones.
You can see that I look really greasy and my face is lighter than my neck. This makeup is beautiful in person, but doesn’t translate well in flash photography. 
Here’s what it looks like without flash: