Guest Post: Peachy Pink Ethereal Goddess Tutorial

May 07, 2015 in Makeup

-This post was written by my sister, Taylor-

First thing’s first, you’re already a goddess. So check off that part.

But to begin this glowy spring look, start with a glowy foundation, like the YSL Touche Eclat Foundation. Next, I like to use the Marc Jacobs Remedy Concealer Pen in Rendezvous under my eyes to brighten up any dark circles I may have because try as I might, I can never quite get to bed early enough to get a good night’s sleep.

Next, I use the new Tartelette Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in the collector’s shade Celebrated. It’s a warm rose-y shade with a slight nude-gold undertone that adds a beautiful glow to the skin that looks so natural and healthy. To finish the face I like to use Benefit’s Watt’s Up! Highlighter to bring a dewy shine to the tops of my cheekbones.

For eyes, a sweep of Urban Decay’s Strange from the Naked 3 palette to neutralize any darkness on my eyelids makes a perfect base. Smudged into the outer corner and crease I’ll use my finger to apply Benefit’s Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow in Birthday Suit, a bronzey gold shade that ties the whole eye look together. A few coats of mascara finishes off the eye look.

Last but not least is lips. This look needs a pinky-gold shade to match the eyes and cheeks, and a perfect color for that is the Tarte Amazonian Butter Lipstick in Golden Pink (aptly named). This lipstick, as the name suggests, is so buttery and smooth and feels super hydrating on the lips. The color is more sheer than opaque but still leaves a nice wash of color to round off the whole look.

What's your favorite makeup look for spring?

New In: Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick & Lip Cheat

May 05, 2015 in Makeup

Ever since I saw the release of the Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipsticks in the UK, I was impatiently awaiting their arrival here in the US. Finally, I got the email that they would be available on her website for the month of April only (I’m so sorry I couldn’t get this post up before it ended), and then officially released in September. I don’t think I even wasted a second before I made an order.

Top: Matte Revolution Lipstick in Amazing Grace. Bottom: Lip Cheat in Crazy in Love with Amazing Grace on top

Looking back, I really wish I picked up more than one lipstick, but I’m still so happy with what I did get. The first shade that jumped out to me when I first saw them last year was Amazing Grace, a really pretty rose shade. When I noticed this shade was available in a set with a matching Lip Cheat lipliner, I snatched it up right away.

Like I said, I wish I had jumped at the chance to get at least one other lipstick (Bond Girl would be my next choice) because the formula is just SO nice. It really is a luminous matte. It has no sheen or gloss to it, but it still somehow livens up the lips and doesn’t make them look flat. It’s not drying at all (though it will catch on existing dry patches a little, so you may want to use a lip scrub first), and still has the longevity of a matte lipstick. The color is slightly out of my comfort zone as it isn’t exactly a my-lips-but-better pink, but its brightness is a perfect perky spring color.

The shade of the Lip Cheat it came with is called Crazy In Love (this shade is also no longer available in the US for now, so again I'm really sorry!), which doesn’t totally match the lipstick but complements it really well. It’s much more of a deeper berry shade, but wearing a layer of it all over the lips underneath with the lipstick on top adds such depth and dimension. The formula of the Lip Cheat is lovely too - it feels very waxy, unlike the dry formula of the MAC Lip Pencils (which I still love), so it feels a bit more comfortable on the lips but still has long wearing capabilities. After using it I really wish I had a lighter color, so the shade Pillow Talk may sneakily make its way into my virtual shopping bag very soon.

What do you think of these shades together? Have you tried any Charlotte Tilbury lip products?

The New Exfoliators

May 02, 2015 in Skincare

Recently I’ve come into the possession of two very similar and unique exfoliating products. I have pretty sensitive skin that can get really irritated by scrubby facial exfoliants, so for a while, I stuck to only chemical ones (my favorite to use every day is the Pixi Glow Tonic). But now, something new has rolled into my routine.

Excuse my extremely dry hand - but those white bits are dead skin being exfoliated away using the Mizon Apple Smoothie Peeling Gel!

I first got the Aqua Reveal Satin Bright Water Peel for Face in a Birchbox a few months ago, and I didn’t really think anything of it and chucked it into my huge pile of samples (more on that in another post). Once I found out what it did, I was really intrigued and dug into it right away. I don’t know how long these kinds of exfoliants have been around, but I’ve just started hearing about them now. This one comes out as a clear gel (it looks really similar to Hydraluron actually), and as you massage it into your skin, it binds together the dead skin cells so they start just balling up and rolling off as you’re massaging - think of that satisfying feeling of letting Elmer's Glue dry on your fingers and then peeling it off. You then rinse everything off, leaving a brighter, smoother complexion.

After loving the exfoliant by Aqua Reveal, I found a similar one on Korean skincare website Peach and Lily - the Mizon Apple Smoothie Peeling Gel. It was pretty affordable for such a large tube so in it went to my cart (along with a ton of hydrating sheet masks). This one comes out as a more creamy, white gel that says it uses cellulose as that dead-skin-binder. It also contains fruit and botanical extracts to brighten the skin - it really works, and it smells amazing too! I've noticed after using both of these that my skin feels so much softer and smoother, and even when I don't feel like there's much to exfoliate, I still come up with dead skin that washes away. The serums and moisturizers I apply afterwards always seem to sink in so much more quickly and easily, and I've seen a visible reduction in blackheads and acne scars! I use one of these every few days after cleansing and before moisturizing, and I haven't experienced any irritation whatsoever. If you're sensitive to scrubs with microbeads and chemical exfoliators, I'd definitely try one of these.

Have you ever tried a peeling exfoliator?