Faux Glow: Sun-kissed Face

Hello, ladies!  Caroline here.  I've been on a bit of a hiatus, but I'm back and ready to give y'all my favorite summertime beauty secrets.

It's hot outside, which means I've got on my dresses, tank tops, skirts, and shorts.  Also, as you may know, I'm pretty much as white as snow, which isn't fitting for the season.  However, skin cancer runs in my family, so I'm not about to go hop into a tanning bed or lay out at the beach.  Nope! I fake my summer bronze (or bronze for my standards anyway) with products and makeup, and yet I still wear my SPF everyday.

I'll have a couple of different posts on this topic, so stay tuned!

Let's start with your whole face.  I'll do a separate post on summer eye makeup that you can wear with this look.  I'm not going to have any pictures of myself in this post, but I think I can give you an idea.  Here are the tools you will need:

• Stippling brush 

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• Bronzer (Matte is preferable.  I use Tarte's "Park Avenue Princess.")

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• Blush (I like to use one with a bit of sheen to it, but no sparkles.  Right now I'm using Mary Kay's "Shy Blush" mineral cheek color.)

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First things first, you need to know how you tan.  If I actually sit in the sun with no sunscreen, I turn pink.  And I get pinker and pinker until my skin peels and goes back to it's original pale whiteness. Because of this, I know that an orange-y (or warm-toned) bronzer wouldn't look very "right" on my face.  If you turn a warm, more peach colored tan, pick a slightly orange bronzer and a peachy blush. If you turn pink, pick a cooler toned brown bronzer, and mix it with a pinky blush. Let's not look like Snooki, ok?

Use the stippling brush to pick up some bronzer.  Gently tap off the excess and apply.  You'll want to hit the highest areas of your face with the color.  This isn't like contouring, so don't put it in the hollows of your cheeks.  Instead, tap it across your cheekbones, on the bridge of your nose, your brow bones, and wherever else the sun actually hits your face.

Here's a little face chart that I edited to show your where I put mine:

Once you've bronzed in these areas, move onto blush.  Just lightly swipe this in the exact same places you put the bronzer, even your brow bone and nose.  This makes the color look a bit more natural and sun-kissed, because everyone has a bit of a reddish tint to their tans.

But the key part about this is to pick the right color.  I'l repeat: match your bronzer and blush to the tan you naturally get.  And you can find bronzer and blush tones in every shade imaginable, so you'll definitely be able to find the one for you!

Don't go overboard with this.  Just a gentle few taps of the stippling brush on the highest points of your face leaves you with a fresh and summery look.

Have a good summer!  I'll be back with some body tan tips in the next few days.

Love,
Caro

Brown eyes, of course

Hey Ladies of the brown eyes, you all knew it was coming.  :)

{Products used: Beauty Rush wet/dry shadow in bronzinger, covergirl eyebrightening palette in vibrant browns: cream and bronze, covergirl lashblast volum mascara}

Now I don't consider myself an expert, but here's the makeup I do on a fairly normal basis.  I have brown eyes, and to give myself contrast-y eyelids I have a dark brown with a bit of shimmer for my crease, a bit of highlighter for my brow bone and the corner of my eye, and then a bronze-y for my lid.  I also apply mascara to my top and bottom lashes.  Sometimes I forgo the lid and brow bone and just apply dark brown to my crease.  It's not a lot and just gives a bit of contrast without looking heavy(I love this particular shadow).
Obviously, brown isn't on the color wheel, but I also suggest purples and greens to bring out the richness of your brown eyes.  Try out different colors of eyeliners like Emilyann said, those are fun, or even purple mascara.  Go ahead and experiment with it.  With my light olivey skin and brunette hair, brown eyeshadow is my favorite right now.  But it also depends on my mood. ;)

Have fun ladies (and happy summer, thank goodness it's here, right?)!

lillian.

What About Green Eyes?

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Hello, ladies! Emilyann here to bring you a post on enhancing green eyes. Like Caroline said, the best colors for your eyes are the colors on the other end of the spectrum. This would make purples the best colors for your eyes. Purples work with every skintone. The only thing about purple eyeshadow is that it's hard to make it look pretty and not like a black eye. I'm here to show you some failproof ways to make your eyes stand out and not in the "I just got beat up" way. ;)

The first way to make those eyes pop is purple eyeliner. This is probably the most subtle way to bring out your green eyes, but also the most effective. Stick to plum and indigo shades on the upper lashline, and a bit on the outer lower lashline, and it will be barely noticeable, but your eyes will definitely shine. Pair this eyeliner with a dark red lipstick for night wear, or a pretty nude for day.

When using purple eyeshadow, never use a matte purple. This is a recipe for the beat up look disaster. 

Use a silver lid color and a shimmery purple. This will keep things pretty and feminine. 

Another subtle way to enhance your green eyes is to add a purple inner corner highlight. By using a subtly tinted purple highlight color in the corner of your eye, it wakes up the eye and brightens the color beautifully. 

Remember, just because purple enhances your eye color doesn't mean it's the only color you have to use, or the only color that looks good on you. Other factors include your hair color, your eye shape, and your skin tone. Don't be restricted to one look with your makeup. The best way to know what looks good on you is to explore new things!

Have fun with your purples. :)

xx,

Emilyann 

How to Enhance Blue Eyes With Makeup

Hello, ladies!  It's Caroline again.  Today I'm going to talk about how to make blue eyes stand out with your makeup.  The other girls might be putting up posts on how to enhance their eye colors as well, with either clothes or makeup, so stay tuned for those!

Let's get right down to it.  I'll just say, though, that as a general rule, you should use the color that makes you feel prettiest.  If you wear green eyeshadow every day and it makes you feel confident, keep wearing that green eyeshadow, and don't worry about makeup "rules."  But if you're not sure what colors to buy and you want to make your eyes brighter and more vivid, these tips might help you out.

Myth:  Blue eyeshadow makes blue eyes pop.

Fact:  Warm eyeshadows (brown, gold, pink, etc.) make blue eyes brighter and altogether more... Boom.

The issue with blue eyeshadow is that it can overwhelm your eye color.  A stark, bright blue might make your blue eyes look a bit dull because it might be more vivid than the color of your eyes, and a dark blue might wash out your eyes a bit.  You can always use dashes of blue, whether in your eyeliner or a bit in your crease, if you feel you've found the perfect blue for your coloring, but warm colors are generally the best for noticeable enhancement.

Blue Eye Color Enchancement by jabberbabywokky featuring a shimmer eyeshadow

Your best bet is to buy eyeshadow palettes that feature browns, golds, yellows, pinks, and flesh toned colors.  Here's why:

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If you look on the color wheel, oranges and yellow toned colors are directly across from blue toned colors.  Generally, colors opposite each other on the color wheel serve to bring each other out beautifully because of the stark contrast.  Blue is a very cool color, and so warm colors make it pop.

Here is a quick picture tutorial on how I enhance my eyes.  Mine are a grey-ish blue, and I like to use dark browns and golds.  I rarely use pinks because I'm very fair-skinned and they tend to make me look tired.

{Step One} Prime the eyes.  I used MAC's Paint Pot in the shade Painterly.

{Step Two}  Put a pearly color on the brow bone to lift and highlight your brows.

{Step Three}  Apply a wash of gold all over the lid up to the crease.  I'm using a deep, true gold from a Sephora palette.

{Step Four}  Using a small blending brush, apply a light, or medium, brown shadow in the crease.  I am using a brown color from a Tarte palette.

{Step Five} Using a pencil brush, or any brush with a point, apply a slightly darker brown shadow to your crease at the outer edge, blending it inwards from that outer edge.  The brown I'm using is from the same Tarte holiday palette as the one before.  This just gives your crease a bit more definition.

 {Step Six}  Blend everything out with a taupe color or something close to your skin tone. Again, I'm using a taupe from the Tarte palette.

 {Step Seven}  Apply a brown eyeliner to your lower lash line, as close to the waterline as possible without actually putting it on your waterline.  

{Step Eight}  Using the dark brown that you put in your crease, or the lighter brown for a more natural effect, smudge out the liner a little bit.

 {Step Nine} Using your finger, apply a very bright, shimmery white or pearl shade to the very center of your lid, and a little in your tear duct area.  This will make the look more fresh and perfect for day time wear.  If you're going out at night, skip putting this color on the middle of your lid and stick to just putting it in your tear duct area.

{Step Ten}  Curl your top lashes and apply your favorite mascara to the top and bottom eyelashes.

And now you're done!  Finish off with a bit of pink lip gloss (I find pink lip gloss helps make my eyes stand out, too) and you're good to go!

Products Used:
1. Painterly Paint Pot - MAC
2.  Cream shimmer shadow from a Holiday Palette - Tarte
3.  Mix of the two gold shades from this Palette - Sephora
4.  Both dark brown colors from the Holiday Palette - Tarte
5.  Long-Lasting Natural Eyeliner - Tarte
6.  (From the bottom up) Sigma E35 Travel Brush, MyGlam blending brush, Sigma Pencil Brush, Sephora Eyeshadow Brush, Sephora Eyeliner Brush
7.  Coup de Theatre 2 in 1 Mascara - Bourjois
8.  Nail Polish in Beauty Bandit - H&M
9.  Nail Polish in Bella's Choice - H&M
10.  Maybelline Lipstick in the shade Pink & Proper, and Stila lip gloss in the shade Blush

I hope this tutorial helped out you blue-eyed girls!  Let me know what you think, and if you have any questions, I'm happy to help you out in the comments section below.  

Love, 

Caro

Better Than False Lashes - Too Faced Mascara

Hey, it's Caro!

I was sent a product to review, and I've used it enough to give an accurate one.  TooFaced (one of my favorite makeup brands) sent me their brand new Better Than False Lash System.  Let me just go ahead and say that I'm not being paid to be nice about it, nor am I being paid to review it all.  They were just kind enough to send it over and see what I have to say.

So, here's the skinny on the Better Than False Lashes.  It's currently only available at Sephora, and you can find the link by clicking "via" under this little photo:

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As you can see, it's a two piece system.  It has an activating base and top coat, and the nylon fibers.

     ///First, you apply the activating mascara as a base.  I apply it pretty thinly.  

     ///Second, you apply the fibers just as you would with regular mascara.  It's a really cool concept!  It looks like cotton fibers in the tube, and it sticks to the base mascara.

     ///Third, apply the activating mascara over the fibers to cover the whiteness and fill everything out.

Pretty easy, right?  Much easier than putting on real false lashes!

{Pros}  

• Thickens the lashes beautifully 
• Is not clumpy, surprisingly, even though it puts fibers on your lashes.  Looks very natural.
• Lengthens by a LOT.
• Comes off easily with soap and water/eye makeup remover.

{Cons}

• Takes a long time to dry
• A bit sticky feeling on the eyes.  However, actual false lashes, in my opinion, are even more annoying to the eyes, and you don't have to worry about them falling off!
• It's pretty pricey!

I would definitely say this is worth the money!  They would be wonderful if you're in a hurry but want a more dramatic eye than your usual, and they're more comfortable than real falsies.  

Have a great day, ladies!

Love,

Caro

Spring Fashion Tips!

It's been way too long since I last posted. (Blah blah senioritis blah blah exams blah blah blah. You know how it is.) So I thought I'd post some tips for this spring's fashion trends!

Tip 1:

Think Bright.

Everything in the stores is very brightly colored, and there seems to be a crazy amount of neon. But if you're not too keen on looking like a bright orange traffic cone, try going for non-neon bright colors, like turquoise, purple, burnt orange, or coral.

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Tip 2:

High-Low.

High-low skirts are a trend that I really like. They're a different twist on a regular skirt, but still basic enough that you can pair them with just about anything and dress them up or down.

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Tip 3:
Color Blocking.

Color blocking has been popular for a little while now, and it's such an easy, fun trend. The trick is to use colors that are near each other on the color wheel (so, blue and turquoise, or pink and peach), or colors that compliment each other. When you're color blocking, colored skinny jeans are great pieces to have. 

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Tip 4:
Nautical.


Everything and anything nautical is right on trend at the moment. So think rope jewelry, nautical stripes, anchor patters, etc. 

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Tip 5:

Tribal.


Tribal patterns are also super popular right now. I love them on skirts, shoes, jewelry, and some tops. Just remember not to overdo it. Pair your tribal-patterned pieces with something basic.

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Tip 6:

Mint.

And last but not least, our last spring trend is mint (the color, not the leaf). Mint nails, mint skinny jeans, mint shoes....you name it, mint is everywhere. And it's such a pretty color, it looks good on almost everyone. 

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That's it for now! Remember, you can always put your own personal twist on any of these trends, and make it more you. Have fun with it. :)

Now go raid your closet or run to the mall, and get trendy this spring!

Love,

Amanda

Hair How-To: Twisted Tiara

Hola hola hola!  It's Caroline.  I'm currently in the process of growing out some super awkward bangs, and so I rarely wear them down.  Because of this, I've had to come up with some cute ways to hide a bobby pin without having the shortest bits of bang falling in my eyes!

This one is my personal favorite, other than just a French braid.  I like to call it the twisted tiara because it's raised up from the scalp and looks a bit like a crown.  And also because who doesn't love alliteration?

     {Step One}
Starting at your part, lift up two pieces of hair and do one twist.

     {Step Two}
Pick up another strand of hair from your hairline and add it to the front piece.  

     {Step Three}
Twist that front piece and the new strand backwards and over the back piece.  Your back piece is now your front piece.

     {Step Four}
Repeat Step Two and Three over and over until you think you're done.

     {Step Five}
Grasp the two pieces and twist them together into one, and push them against your scalp so the French Twist you've just created gets a bit of volume.

     {Step Six}
Take a bobby pin.  Push it through the end of your twist from underneath and twist/push it in until it feels secure to you.  You can add more bobby pins throughout the "tiara" if you feel some places are loose.

Hit that baby with some hairspray and you've hidden your bangs away for the day!  This is great for summer, too, because it's fast (once you get the hang of it) and looks great with beachy waves.  Or with just plain ol' fresh from sleep lazy butt I just don't care hair.

Happy hair-days to you all.

Love,
Caro