Purple and Grey Smokes

Hi Ladies!

Here is a make up look that I have been LOVING lately.  I was inspired to do this look because everyone is getting excited for fall and using deeper colors but I still wanted to hold on to that last little bit of summer with a pop of a bright color.  I hope you like it! :)  So without further adieu...

What I used:

Make Up Forever HD Foundation, shade #123, applied with a stippling brush.

Sephora Concealer quad under eyes.

Bareminerals Warmth as a contour on my hair line and in the hollows of my cheeks.

Maybelline Fit Me Blush in Light Nude.

Laura Gellar Blush-n-Brighten on cheek bones and bridge of nose as a highlight.

MAC Studio Fix Pressed Powder to set my T-Zone.
ybf beauty Automatic Brow Pencil in Taupe to fill in brows.

Eyes:

Apply Urban Decay Primer Potion all over lid and lower lash line.  Put a matte white shadow all over lid up to brow bone and in the inner corner.  Light pewter shimmer shadow on lid to just above crease.  (I used the "crease" color in the Velvet Crush Maybelline Shadow Quad.)  Then apply a medium purple shade into your crease. (I used a shade from my bh cosmetics 120 palette)  Again from the Velvet Crush Quad, use the "liner" (a dark charcoal grey) shade in your outer "V".  Lastly, apply your favorite black eyeliner and mascara.  I used Maybelline Stiletto liquid liner and then Lorac Mascara.

Lips:


Buxom Big and Healthy Lipstick in Amsterdam (rosy nude) and Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in Nude Lustre (peachy nude).

I hope you all love this look as much as I do!  It can easily translate from day to night and would be gorgeous on most skin tones!  Let me know if there is a certain look you would like to see featured in this blog, be it inspired by a photo, celebrity, theme, whatever!  Also let me know if you would like a video tutorial!

Thank you for reading! :)

Aylissa

Pretty Spring Makeup!

Ahh, makeup... one of the finer things in life. :)  I absolutely love doing makeup, whether it's a friends or my own.  I think that all women are beautiful, and certainly makeup enhances that beauty in a physical way, but there's something about it that makes us feel beautiful.  It makes us walk with a little more attitude and carry ourselves a little higher.  For me, makeup gives me more confidence.  Even if I'm only wearing a tinted moisturizer and some lipgloss or some powder and blush, I feel more put together and prepared to face the day.  That brings me to today's post!  This particular makeup look makes me feel pretty and feminine.  Here's a pic:

Peach and Purple

It's a simple enough look to achieve, but I love it for spring.  The colors are bright and fun but not overbearing.  It's fresh and feminine and looks great on all skin types.

To get this look I used for the face:

• Face primer
• NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Punjab (applied with stippling brush and buffed in)
• Pur Minerals All Over Glow Bronzer for contouring the hollows of my cheeks, my jaw line, temples, and hair line. (Contouring these areas with a bronzer brings the light to the center of the face for a healthy glow)
• Rimmel London Blush in 010 Peach on the apples of my cheeks and then blended back.
• Benefit's Girl Meets Pearl highlighter on the bridge of my nose and cheekbones.
• Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Crush
• Revlon Super Lustrous lip gloss in Nude Luster

For my eyes:

• Urban Decay Primer Potion
• The shimmery white cream shadow from the Revlon Illuminance Quad "Seashells" on my inner eye/tear duct area to make the eyes appear brighter, wider, and well rested.
• Maybelline Eyeshadow in Vanilla to highlight brow bone.
• A plum purple out of the BH Cosmetics 120 color palette over the entire lid and then a darker, deep amethyst in the crease and along my upper lash line.
• Upper lash line is lined with the Physicians Formula liquid eyeliner pen.
• Lower lash line is lined with black eyeshadow.
• Covergirl Lashblast mascara on eyelashes.

It sounds like a lot but the full face only took me about 5 minutes, a little more if I'm being slow about it.  But there you go, my go-to look this spring.  I hope you get a chance to try it out and I hope you've enjoyed this post!  Would you like a video tutorial?  Comment below to let me know!  I would appreciate any feedback or requests you may have. :)  

Coming soon - my April Birchbox shipment!

DIY Masks to Keep Your Skin Beautiful Year-Round, Part 2

Hello Gorgeous!

Here is Part 2 of the DIY Mask Series.  Last time I talked about a peachy, creamy mask to keep us glowing throughout the warm summer months.  Most of us have our best skin in the summer, but it's our winter skin that we tend to worry about.  For me, my skin can get dry, flaky, and dull from the cold, harsh weather.  And since we don't go outside as much, we get paler and our skin lacks that dewiness that naturally comes with summer.  Well this mask helps to combat all of the above with the added benefits of reducing scarring and acne.  This mask is easy, cheap, and 100% natural!

Green Tea, Honey, & Cider Vinegar Mask

You will need:


1 tsp apple cider vinegar (NOT WHITE)
2 tsp cooled green tea (3 if your skin is sensitive)
6 tsp sugar
1 tsp honey

Mix all of the ingredients together putting the honey in last.  Apply on to your clean face with your fingers and GENTLY rub in a circular motion for 1 minute.  Leave the mask on for 10 minutes and then rinse with warm water and pat dry.  Put on some moisturizer and that's it! :)

The benefits breakdown:

Apple Cider Vinegar - Contains alpha hydroxy and amino acids to gently break up dead skin cells.  Also has malic acid to break up scar tissue.  Vitamins A, C, & E  repair damaged skin cells.

Green Tea - Contains natural antioxidants the remove free radicals (the molecules responsible for aging and skin damage) from the skin.

Sugar - Acts as a natural exfoliant and the glycerin in it helps hydrate.

Honey - Honey is a natural acne treatment.  It is anti-inflammatory, redness reducing, and also helps the skin to retain moisture. It also makes the skin firmer which makes skin look younger.

This mask has worked wonders for me with it's anti-acne and hydrating properties.  It helps my skin to look fresh and dewy, even  in the cold winter months and has reduced some of my acne scarring.  I hope all of you can benefit from this article and I hope you love the mask as much as I do!  Let me know what you think below! :)

Love,
Aylissa

P.s.  Coming soon - one of my favorite makeup looks for spring!  Check back often for new articles!

DIY Masks to Keep Your Skin Beautiful Year-Round, Part 1

Hello Gorgeous!

What is something that is cheap, fun, and leaves you feeling refreshed and fabulous?  Face masks!  Using a face mask at least once a week has many benefits for your skin.  In general, they leave your skin feeling softer and with a more healthful appearance.  Sometimes we use them as a soothing indulgence, a treat, a break from our hectic lives.  Other times they have targeted application for things like anti-aging or acne, pore refinement, deep cleansing, moisturization, increased elasticity, and the list goes on and on.  What I would like to share with you today is one of two masks that I use year round to keep my skin healthy.

This one is great for spring and summer months.  It's called the Peaches and Cream mask.  Already sounds pretty and delicious, right?

                  Peaches and Cream Mask

What you need:

1 ripe peach
2-3 tbsp heavy cream

Some uncooked oatmeal (optional)

Mash peach with a fork into a bowl and add cream.  Mix well.  Add oatmeal (if you so desire) to the desired consistency.  Apply to face (or entire body if you like!) and leave on for 15 minutes.  Rinse well with warm water and pay skin dry.

This mask is great for the warm/hot months of the year.  Peaches are full of enzymes that naturally soften your skin and this part of the mask also leaves your skin smelling yummy. :)  During summer, since we're out in the sun a lot, our skin cells darken and die, sometimes leaving us with flaky, uneven skin.  The natural alpha-hydroxy acid in cream helps us to shed that old skin to reveal new, healthy skin.  This mask is pretty messy, and that brings me to the optional oatmeal.  You can add some oatmeal to make the mixture a little thicker and more manageable, and it only brings added benefits!  

Oatmeal has long been used by mothers to soothe their children's skin ailments such as chicken pox.  Also, we see oatmeal as an ingredient in many products for sensitive, dehydrated, or easily irritated skin.  This is because oatmeal naturally draws out impurities and deep cleans without drying or irritating the skin.  In this recipe, it also serves as an exfoliator.

So if you would like soft, rejuvenated, yummy-smelling skin, try this mask!  If you try or are going to try this mask, please let me know what you thought in the comment section below!  I hope you've enjoyed this post!

Love,

Aylissa

p.s. DIY Masks to Keep Your Skin Beautiful Year-Round, Part 2 coming soon so stay tuned! :)