Trend Alert: Fall 2015

Hello Beauties,

Fashion week has come to an end, and with it new beauty trends for this coming fall season.
As a whole not a tonne has changed, but with the beauty scene looking this good, why should they. 

1. "Flushed" skin 

Move over contour, there's a new queen bee in town! Models were seen sporting fresh, dewy skin with a pop of pink blush on the apples of their cheeks.

2. Graphic liner 

Bold liner makes a come back this fall season, models were sporting bold designs in even bolder colours. 

3. Metallic eye shadows 

Bronze toned and metallic shadows are taking the fall season by storm, 

4. Vampy lips 

Red, oxblood, maroon and plum lipsticks were star hitters on the cat walk this season. The darker tones just sing fall. 

5. Simple smokey eyes 

Monotone smokey eyes are all the rage this fall season, the smokier, the better ;)

As always lovlies, 

Thanks for reading 

Danielle

Get The Look: Strobing

Hello Beauties,

Contour seems to have officially gone by the way of the dodo bird in the eyes of the beauty community. The up and coming trend that everyone is talking about now *drum roll please* STROBING!

What is strobing you ask ?
Well strobing is essentially highlighting your face, but with a new and improved name ;)

To strobe your face like a pro, you will need:

1. Your foundation/ BB Cream / Tinted moisturizer of your choice

2. A concealer 1 - 2 shades lighter than your foundation

3. A blending brush or sponge

4. Setting powder

5. Highlight powder


Start as always by prepping your skin as you normally would (wash, moisturize, and prime)

Once your skin has been prepped, apply the foundation of your choice. For this look something with a dewy finish would be better over something matte.  The whole idea behind this look is glowing dewy skin. Set your foundation with your setting powder of choice.

Next you're going to apply the lighter concealer in your highlight areas: The forehead, the brow bone, below the eyes, on the cheek bones above the apples of the cheek, cupid's bow, chin, and lastly below the cheekbone, under where you would normally contour your skin

Now you're going to blend, blend, and then blend some more.  Using your sponge or brush, you're going to disperse the colour of the concealer onto your face. You should be left with a slightly lighter complexion on the places you've put the concealer.

Finally you're going to have to set the concealer on your face. For this step I like to use the mineralize skin finishes from MAC, but any highlight powder will do. Pick up a small amount of the highlighter on your powder brush and sweep it across the areas you just placed the concealer.

With fall right around the corner I like to finish this look by adding a pop of pink blush onto the apples of my cheeks and a dark vampy lip.

Et Voila, a beautiful fall look to keep your makeup game on point.

Go get 'em you trendsetter you.

Stay tuned for my next tutorial post: Ombré lips for fall.

Danielle ;)

August Ipsy Bag

Hello Beauties, 

So this month the theme for the Ipsy bag was back to school ( prep school to be exact)

The bag this month was a patterned and slightly textured bag in black and white with hot pink accents.

The 5 pieces I received inside my bag this month were:

1. Hikari lip gloss in "salsa:
2. City Colour HD powder ( SO EXCITED!)
3. Briogeo Blossom and Bloom Ginseng and biotin volumizing spray
4. Lather ultra mild face wash
5. Starlooks liquid liner pen in black


This month my bag was just alright.  I really enjoyed 3 of the 5 products, however the other 2 were a complete miss.


The Hikari lip gloss is beautiful, it is a fully pigmented ultra shiny gloss and the colour payout is AMAZING. It really wears more like a lip lacquer than a lip gloss. The downside is that because it is ultra shiny, it is also sticky. I found because of the high shine in the product that it never really "dries" which means that your lips stay tacky for as long as you're wearing it. The second issue I had with this product is that it does not have the staying power of some of its peers the wear time is relatively short.

I am trying to get into filming YouTube tutorials right now, so this powder is fabulous. I am able to set all of my looks without the harsh blow back that you would get from other traditional translucent/ setting powders. I wish that I had gotten it in a pressed powder formula instead of the loose powder (just personal preference). The powder performs well, it set my makeup and has kept it in place through the hot and humid August days.

The Briogeo volumizing spray was not one of the products that I used a whole lot of. I have a tonne of volume naturally, my hair is thick and curly, so I only ever really used this spray to try and help my hair along after I had back combed it. I can't honestly say if this spray made a difference or not, I really didn't notice any difference in my hair when i used the spray Vs not using it... Womp

Oh, the lather face wash... I was really hoping that I would like this one. I had heard really good things about this face wash and if I'm being totally honest, it worked really well BUT it smells awful. I just don't want to put it on my face again.

Last but not least, and possibly one of my favourites the Starlooks liquid liner pen by Doucce. This liquid liner is killer! the fine tip give you ultimate control over your liner look, whether it's a graphic liner, or something super simple. The colour payout is great and it stays ALL day. This was a great find for me.

Review: July Ipsy Bag

Hello Beauties,

It seems like it has been a while since I last posted and I am sorry about the delay. I took a little vacay with my fam jam in July so there was no internet for a good portion of the month.



A little while ago I decided to be to a monthly beauty box of some kind so that I could stay up to date with the newest products, and test them out for some honest reviews.
Then I kept forgetting to subscribe to one...womp womp.

This month I FINALLY signed up for the Ipsy bag, which is the monthly subscription bag started by the beauty guru Michelle Phan. Basically, you take a quiz and then receive 4 - 5 personalized deluxe sized samples in a cute cosmetic bag once a month.

This was my first month using the subscription service and I have to say I was not disappointed.

This month I recieved :

Jorel Parker Classico eau du parfum roller ball ( I will say that I do wish that it was a spritzer rather than a roller ball, but I suppose beggers can't be choosers, right?)

"Exotic, inspiring, and full of surprises, Classico whisks you away from the day-to-day. Indulge in the spicy seduction of Indian Tuberose, the striking and sweet sensation of Turkish Cyclamen and the purifying calm of Spanish Mandarin"

It took me more than one time wearing this fragrance to decide how I felt about it, but I really like it. It is well balanced and neither to floral, nor too spicey. It fades well too, I especially love the bass notes in it.


Mongongo Lip Balm Conditioner in Vanilla Coconut

I honestly love this stuff. I would definitely buy it if given the chance. It hydrated my lips and kept them soft and smooth without having to continually reapply. Essentially exactly what you want out of a lip conditioner


Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Bronzer - Park Avenue Princess

I have to be honest here, I was NOT happy to see that I was getting this in my bag. As a red head, I am very fair, so I don't EVER wear bronzer. When I first saw this in there, I was thinking, great a product that I will never, ever use, I even tried to go online and see if I could switch it for another one of the products they were offering. As it turns out, you can not switch just one or two of the products, so i waited for the bronzer to arrive figuring at the worst I could give it to a friend.
When I opened my bag for the first time, I decided that I would use all the products just once to create a summer look, and that way I would get the chance to test them all out and see what I liked.
The bronzer is gorgeous against my skin, gives me the perfect sun kissed glow and would double as a great eye shadow. I am totally sold on the idea of a bronzer now.


Eyetini Swizzle Stick - Blue Hawaiian

This liner I felt I could take or leave. It is a great consistency, and the colour payout is fantastic, but I really wish that I had gotten a more neutral colour instead of the bright blue.
I think it is a beautiful shade, but not one that I think I would personally wear often.

Fianlly I also recieved a Belle Pierre Lipstick in shade P.I.N.K

The lipstick goes on creamy and smooth and the colour payout is great. I love this one on it's own, or mixed with a lighter shade to create a more natural pink tone. It's just a really pretty bright pink.


All of the products arrived in this cosmetic bag. It is super bright and summery and just a lot of fun over all

So far my experience with Ipsy has been great, the bag arrived right on time, and I really like the products that were selected for me this month. I have kept my subscription for the month of August and I can not wait to see what I get this time around.

I'll be sure to share another one of these with you in the next few weeks

stay beautiful and thanks for reading

Danielle

Dragon Lady: Body Image and the Beauty Industry

Hello Beauties,


So today I wanted to touch on a topic of body shaming and the stereotypes that still linger within the beauty industry. This post is near and dear to my heart because I am a plus size girl, my dress size on average is about a 12 / 14 and people can be very cruel when you're working in a industry where you're "supposed to be looked at"


I'm going to talk about a personal experience that I had while working for Estee Lauder.

Basically, we were getting ready to have our Christmas gala. The gala is an event where all of the makeup counters invite their regular clients to come in and stock up on their product, the counters will usually offer a special gift with purchase, as well as coupons, snacks, entertainment, etc. The attire for employees working the gala is supposed to be semi- formal, so a few days before gala night I went and bought a really adorable David Dixon little black dress.

The dress was strapless with a fitted bodice and an A line pleated skirt.

I loved the way the dress fit, it was super cute and gave me the perfect hour glass figure. I thought I looked pretty good, and felt super confident in my LBD, like if every girl should have one, this was totally mine.


I arrived for my shift on the day of the gala wearing my LBD and feeling pretty excited with myself, naturally the counters were swamped, so I was SUPER busy for almost the entire shift.

As I was getting ready to leave for the evening, a woman approached the counter looking for help. I was supposed to be leaving but thought I would stay to give the woman a hand (after I had already punched out).

As it turns out, the lady had a tonne of questions and was looking for an ENTIRE skin care routine, on a budget none the less. I walked her through the products we offered, how to use them, which ones would work best for her and even which ones she could come back for so she didn't break her budget.

Finally she was satisfied, She had her skin care regime, knew how it all worked and how to apply it to herself, so we proceeded to the cash so we could both leave the store.

I was ringing her up, and I could feel her eyes on me when she says, "You've got a really pretty face"

I was about to thank her, when she continued with "you know if you lost a few pounds you'd be beating them off with a stick"

At first I thought that I had heard her wrong, there was no way that this woman just said that to me...

Then it dawned on me, that she definitely said it, and whats worse, she clearly didn't see anything wrong with saying it.

I had no idea how to respond to her, so I just sort of smiled and laughed it off, but she wasn't done yet.

She then told me that she was surprised that the makeup counters would hire me because "You're representing the brand" and "People would be looking at you all day" but "good for me for getting the job"

By this point, I am totally mortified and have no idea how to handle the situation. I've never been so passive aggressively called fat in my entire life, and how rude is this woman.

Then I get angry.
I'm angry at the woman for being so insensitive, but I am also mad at myself.

I realized that I just gave this woman, this complete stranger, total control over me. By allowing her to take away my confidence, I had allowed her to make me feel not only fat, but untalented as well. Like I didn't deserve my job, because I weighed a few extra pounds.

She just got to flounce out of the store with her new purchases, while I stewed the entire way home over how I looked (I swore I would never wear the LBD again), my abilities as a makeup artist and if I could ever make it in the beauty industry.

Whether we like it or not the stereotype seems to exist that if you don't look like a model yourself, then you don't deserve to work in the beauty industry in any capacity - and it's just not right and yet there it is.

I guess the moral of the story is - don't let anyone take away your power, know that you matter and that your talents aren't diminished for all someone can't see beyond the package they're contained within
.
It doesn't matter if you're tall, short, fat, thin, gay, straight, man or woman - Own your body, and don't let anyone take away your confidence ;)

Danielle

PS - I wore my LBD again - to a modeling agency none the less ;D

Tips: The Scrub That Will Ruin Your Skin

Hello Beauties,

I realized it's been a while since I've done an honest to goodness skin care post, so, here it is.

Your skin is your body's largest organ. It is a complex system of layered cells that protects the rest of your body from the harsh pollutants of the outside world. The dermal layers of the skin in order from the surface down are :
- The epidermis
- The dermis
- The Hypodermis

Skin care lotions and creams generally only penetrate the skin to its epidermal layers, though some medicinal creams and lotions can penetrate into the dermis and hypodermis.

The epidermis contains:
- The Stratum Corneum
- The Stratum Lucidum
- The Stratum Granulosum
- The Stratum Spinosum
- The Stratum Basale

If skin cells are the bricks of the skin, then collagen is the mortar. It helps to hold the skin together and gives your skin it's elasticity as well as its strength, and is responsible for replacing dead skin cells. Your collagen is essentially the main support structure for your skin. As we age your body produces less collagen, which makes the skin loose its elasticity.
It's this slow down in the production of collagen that causes fine lines and wrinkles to occur.


Let's get into exfoliating.
You should be exfoliating your skin once a week. This will help remove the layer of dead skin cells (stratum corneum), so that your body can replace them with healthy new cells.
Over exfoliating, and exfoliating with products that are too harsh can result in skin conditions (IE Oily skin), and the long term breakdown of your skin's function.


which brings us to...

St. Ives -

I'm sure most of you have at least heard about, if not used the St. Ives apricot scrub...and here is why you should never use it on your face again.

They claim to use "crushed" apricot pits in their scrub as an exfoliant. the problem with that is when you crush anything, especially something as rigid as a peach/ apricot pit, you're going to get sharp and jagged pieces in the product. These jagged pieces will force off healthy skin cells, as well as the dead ones as it moves across the dermis. Over time this will result in the break down of the collagen that holds the cells together, which will cause premature aging, fine lines and wrinkles.

If you're looking for a good scrub that will be gentle on your skin, but still effective, try any type of scrub with round exfoliating beads. These beads are generally man made from plastic materials.
If you're looking for something a little more natural - look for something that contains jojoba beads. These beads are made from the jojoba wax and are all natural.

If you're looking for something that is gentle enough to use on your skin every day, you could try Dermalogica daily microfoliant.

This is my personal favourite, you can use it as often or as few times a week as you like.

Exfoliating is the way to beautiful, glowing skin. Just make sure you're using the right product for your skin.

Danielle

Trends: Red Concealer ?

Hello Beauties

Lately I've been seeing these posts ALL OVER the internet about this "Red Lipstick Concealer" trend.

If you haven't seen anything about this yet, basically people are using red lipstick to camouflage dark circles in the under eye area and yes it really does work.

essentially the red pigment in the lipstick acts as a corrector and covers the blue and purple tones that are so often found in dark under eye circles.

The red lipsticks works best on people with a darker complexion, on fairer people, something with an orange or coral tone works better.

TI am a red head, so typically if I am trying to cover my dark circles I will use the BH Cosmetics Concealer Palette. There is an orange corrector that comes in the palette which works wonderfully (and saves me from having to bust out my lipsticks)

I will also sometimes use these concealer/corrector wheels from Lise Watier

For the best results what you want to do is:

1. Moisturize!

Always start by prepping your skin for the makeup you're going to be using, moisturizing will help smooth and hydrate the skin. It will also help keep cosmetics out of pores which will help with breakouts. If you like using primers, you should apply one about 5 minutes after you've used your moisturizer, just so that it has enough time to full absorb into the skin.


2. Apply your Lipstick

Now you're going to want to apply your lipstick/ corrector to the dark areas you wish to conceal. There are two things that will effect the choice of colour for your corrector. 1.the undertone of you skin - when you look at your wrist, if the veins you see there are blue in colour, you have a cool undertone. Likewise, if you look at the veins and they are green, you have a warm undertone. Secondly, the tone of the actual dark circles. What you want to try and do is pick a shade of lipstick that will neutralize the undertones in the dark circles. You do this by selecting colours that are opposites on the colour wheel

Blue toned dark circles tend to appear on people with cool undertone skin (orange corrector)
Green-blue toned dark circles tend to appear on people with warmer undertone skin (red concealer)
Apply your corrector of choice, and blend into the eye area with either a brush or sponge.

3. Set your Corrector
You're going to want to set the corrector you just used over the dark circles so that it doesn't mix into your concealer or foundation whe nyou apply those to the undereye area.
Use a fluffy brush to apply your setting powder of choice into your under eye area. Use a clean powder brush to dust away any excess powder that might be left behind.

4. Apply your Concealer/ Foundation
Lastly you're going to apply your concealer and or foundation as you normally would.


Voila! what under eye circles !?

Thanks for reading - I love to read what you think, leave me lots of comments ;D

Danielle

How To: False Lashes

Hello Beauties,

False lashes are that part of a makeup routine that most people skip over, because most seem to think that they can't pull them off, or just can't put them on. They're almost always a part of youtube tutorials and most beauty experts tend to skip over the application.

I just want to let you guys know that falsies can be done quickly, easily and correctly, whether you're a seasoned pro or just a lover of thick, lush lashes ;D

So, what are false lashes

Falsies, or fake eyelashes, come in many different shapes and styles. They are applied to the lash line of the eye to create the illusion of longer, fuller, and darker lashes. They are meant to blend in with your natural eyelashes. You can get simple natural looking ones for everyday use, dramatic full lashes, or flirty oddly shaped ones. You can even find lashes that are made of feathers, feature bright colour, or crazy patterns.

False lashes can be made out of synthetic (plastic) material, or natural hair. Less expensive lashes tend to be synthetic, they're easy to tell apart because they actually look a little shiny and are stiffer, Natural hair lashes look just like real eye lashes. They're usually made from treated, sanitary hair and blend in flawlessly with your natural lashes.

There are two main types of lashes - Band/ strip lashes and individual lashes. The two have very different application styles, but both are very doable.

Band False Lashes:

These are by far the most popular type of lashes because they're quicker and easier to apply to yourself. They are a full eye's worth of lashes, pre-attached to one another, making them easy to just glue and go.

Individual False Lashes:

Individual lashes are ideal for occasions where you want the extra drama, but definitely don't want the look of a full band of false lashes. Each individual lash is a small clump of lashes stuck together, meant to be glued one at a time into the lash line for optimal blending. These type of lashes look the most natural, but are a lot more time consuming to put on yourself.

How do you Apply False Lashes ?

Applying falsies isn't something that you're going to be able to do perfectly the first time (just ask the girls I practiced on in my makeup application class) It's much better to practice a few times before being able to go out in public donning your new luscious lashes.

This is the way that I was taught to apply falsies, and I've found that it works well for most people.  

You Will Need:

• Scissors
• Eyelash glue
• Black mascara
• Eyelash curler
• Tweezers

   

1. For strip lashes - You MUST measure and trim any excess off the band before you apply them. Not everyone has the same shaped eyes, this will help give you the best fit AND make your bank look the most natural.

2. Curl your lashes and apply a single even coat of mascara, this will make it easier to blend your natural lashed with the falsies. Take the lashes out of the package and curl them around your finger. This will make the band more pliable and easier to shape to your eye.

3. Lots of falsies come with eyelash glue (usually the glue is not the greatest though) make sure you double check to see if they set you picked does or does not BEFORE you get them home. There is nothing worse than getting home and finding out you have no way of attaching your lashes and starting your new adventure into lash town. You can usually buy inexpensive lash glue on it's own. When it's time to apply the lashes  I squeeze a small dollop of glue onto my makeup pallet and then grab the lashes upside down and run the band quickly through the glue. This usually coats the band in a thin even layer of glue. For individual lashes you'll want to use tweezers to dip the knot at the bottom of the group of hairs into the glue.  

4. Allow the glue to set on the lashes for about 15 seconds before you apply them to your eyes. This will allow the glue to become tackier and will help the lashes set faster.

5. With your fingers or tweezers if you're more comfortable with them, apply the lashes to the inner corner of your eye, as close to your natural lash line as possible. Applying on the inner corner makes it easier to follow the natural curve of your eye, and allows you to get as close as possible to your natural lashes.

6. Once the lashes are applied and have dried, use an eyelash curler on your natural and false lashed to blend them further, and add one more coat of mascara. This will help hold the curl and make sure the two stay blended together - Think like hairspray for your lashes.

(Individual lashes aren't as tricky to apply, even though the process takes  a little longer. You don't have to worry about measuring and trimming the lashes. Most people will apply a few individual lashes to their outter lash lines to make their eyes appear bigger without looking like it's to much. You can also use individuals on your lower lash line.)

Q&A

How do I remove falsies without yanking on my eyelids ?

Using a good eye friendly makeup remove is key. You don't always have to, but the tugging on the eyelid can be unpleasant for some people when they try to take their lashes off, Try using a makeup remover with oil in it, instead of an oil free formula. If you don't want to run out and buy another product,  try olive, or coconut oil. The natural oils will not cause any break outs, and a lot of people have them already in the pantry.

Can you Re-Use Falsies

Yes! you definitely can, as long as you remember to clean and sanitize them. You can get a lot of life out of your lashes, especially synthetic ones. Whenever you remove your lashes, just remember to remove all the makeup/ excess glue off of them, then give them a swipe with a q-tip that has been dipped in rubbing alcohol. Let them dry and then put them away for next time. You can use them until they literally fall apart ( and sometimes even after that...hello demi's)

---

My Favourites:

Some of my favourite falsies are made by Ardell, they have a HUGE variety to choose from, they really last AND are affordable.

For individual lashes I like the Ardell Duralash kit. The lashes can last up to 2 weeks with the special adhesive that is included in the starter kit.

My go to lash glue is DUO, it comes in a few different formulas, I like the formula that dries clear

The house of lashes glue is also amazing, the brush applicator makes it very easy to apply just the right amount of glue to the band.

I hope that you all find this very helpful and that you enjoy your adventures into luscious lash town.

Stay Beautiful,

Danielle

Review Time - Bellato HD Skin Secrets Starter Airbrush Kit

Hello Beauties!!

I recently took the plunge and purchased an airbrush kit from Belletto Studio.
I found a great coupon code from one of the very talented makeup artist's that I follow on Instagram.  The coupon code gave me 50% off of any item on the site.

I started by reading some of the reviews that other people had posted and watched some videos on Youtube, then I went onto the website to look at what kind of systems that Belletto offers.  I decided to get the HD Skin Secrets Starter Kit, this particular kit includes:

• Complete Belletto Studio HD Airbrush System
• A mix of 4 Foundations, 1 Blush, 1 Bronzer or Highlighter pre-selected for you based on your skin tone.
• Lifetime Manufacturer’s Warranty and Maintenance on Airbrush Wand
• Belletto Studio Artist Support
• One-Year Manufacturer’s Warranty
• Quick Start Guide
• Step-By-Step Tutorial DVD:

Learn to Airbrush

Basic and Advanced Makeup Applications

Contouring & Highlighting

Stencils for Face and Body

Cleaning and Maintenance

Airbrush Tanning

ORDERING

I found the website fairly easy to navigate and order from, adding the coupon code was a little strange, you have to go to a separate page to add the coupon to your order, and had I not been looking for it, I probably would have missed it entirely.

 I live in Canada, so there was only one option for shipping, but it was very reasonable. In total having used my coupon and added shipping, my total order was $92.50 (USD) which worked out to $104.50 (CND).

I was a little confused as to how long it would take for me to receive my order because no where on the site or in the confirmation e-mails does it mention shipping times, which I was a little worried about.

However I have to say my order arrived in really good time, I was very pleasantly surprised with how quickly it did arrive and they followed the special shipping directions I added perfectly.

UNBOXING

The box has a flap magnet closure, and on the inside of the lid there is a "periodic table of makeup" which is very helpful for mixing colours. All of the directions that come with the system are step by step and very easy to follow. 

First Impressions

The compressor is very compact and would be easy to carry, which is perfect for me as I travel to clients, and can now offer them airbrushing on the go.  The system is very easy to set up, and has three settings to choose from low, medium and high. There is no on / off switch, the compressor begins blowing as soon as the power cord is plugged in. 

The foundation covers really well, and feels incredibly light while still looking natural which I especially love.  The blush that was included with my system was not a colour I would really use, but it is still a beautiful blush colour for a different skin tone. 

Overall it is a very easy system to use and I am very happy with my new purchase. I would highly recommend it for anyone who is new to air brushing. 

★★ ★ ★ ☆

Danielle