Some helpful tips to know before wearing matte lipsticks

My favorite type of lipstick is one that has a matte finish.

Most times these lipstick do not transfer, and they can last for hoursss! (which lady or guy doesn’t love that?)

Though some may complain that these lipsticks/lip stains can be very drying, I agree, but my solution to that is, exfoliating. I exfoliate my lips at least 2 times a week, 3 times at most because I tend to wear matte lipsticks everyday (brown sugar and honey usually does the trick perfectly if you don’t want to purchase an actual lip exfoliant)

Another solution is, before you do your makeup (I’m assuming you apply your lipstick last) apply a lip balm, and by the time you’re done with your makeup, your lips should be soft. Now at this point, you can line your lips with a liner that compliments your lipstick – this will make your lipstick last that much longer – then, you can either wipe off your lip balm or leave it on under your matte lipstick (as I do) for extra softness – either way, the lipstick will still be matte.

Seeing as I love matte lipsticks, I try to make every lipstick have a matte finish, whether it’s a satin, lustre, cremesheen, etc. The way I do this is, after I’m done applying the lipstick, I dust a bit of loose translucent powder on over it and Voila! matte lips ;D

Retouching throughout the day can be tricky. If you’re like me, and you have dry lips all year round (another reason why I exfoliate often), chances are you walk around with a lip balm – this is a good thing when wearing matte lip products. To retouch, I usually apply a layer of lip balm and let it set for a few minutes then i blot it away and reapply my lipstick/lip stain; you can either use a lip brush or apply it straight from the tube, it’s all about preference 🙂

So, let’s recap:

• exfoliate
• moisturize
• blot (or don’t blot)
• apply matte lip product
• retouch – moisturize, blot, reapply

If you have any questions, you can shoot me a comment and I’ll be more than happy to respond in the best way that i can!

Thanks for reading, happy lipsticking lol x

— BreathingGlamor xx

My in depth full coverage face routine: Night Out

This is my full coverage face routine on my typical night out on the town with my girls or a guy friend. Sometimes, I even like to incorporate this routine into my day time look, without the eyeshadow and instead, 500 coats of mascara (okay, maybe just 3 :-p). But for this post, I’ll show you my go-to look for a night out if I’m not in the mood to sit down and analyze for an extra hour (this look typically takes 45 minutes – an hour) how I want to wear my makeup for a particular outfit. This look mostly goes with anything – IMO (in my opinion).

Products Used:

EYES

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1. Eyebrows:

I like to do this step first before I apply my eyeshadows and face primer because it gives me a guide for applying the rest of my makeup.

• Instant iBrow brow powder – I purchased this at a mall in Miami in the Summer of 2014 by a company called ‘Instant Beauty’. I was bombarded by them (typical lol) trying to sell me their product. They basically dissed my brows and told me to lose the brow pencil and invest in a powder. I’m forever indebted to them now hahaha.
• MAC NC45 Pro longwear concealer – I use this to highlight under and above the brows to clean up any mistakes I might have made when filling in my brows.

2. Eye Makeup/Eyeshadow:

• Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion – I use this before applying my shadows, and let me tell you, this primer is from the makeup gods! lol. It’s meant to last 24 hours, and I wouldn’t doubt it for a second. As bad as this may sound, I’ve fallen asleep with makeup on a few times after clubbing (I’m human :-p) and woke up with my eyeshadow still in tact as if I had just applied it. I swear by this primer!
• Naked 1 and Naked 2 Palette by Urban Decay – I have countless amounts of eyeshadow and eyeshadow palettes, but I always tend to grab these two. For this look, I usually go for Foxy (Naked 2 – brow bone highlight and inner 2/3 of lid), Buck (Naked 1 – transition color), Blackout (Naked 2 – outer 1/3, crease and lower lash line), Half Baked (either palette – inner tear duct), then I usually go back in with Buck to blend out Blackout.
• L’Oreal telescopic mascara – I use about 3 to 4 coats of mascara on my lower and upper lashes
• Ardell lashes in Naomi – I have just started experimenting with different types of lashes, from the very normal to dramatic, and I’ve been having a lot of fun with it, but for this night, I went with Naomi, a more subtle but fuller lash! 🙂

SN: I do not wear eyeliner on my lower lash line, ever. Nothing against it, it’s just personal preference :-).

FACE

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1. Primer:

• Benefit POREfessional – I’ve never had any issues with this primer, it lives up to it’s name and does what it is supposed to do – minimize the appearance of pores and fine lines, and help makeup stay put. I use this after I moisturize and before I apply any of my face makeup products.

2. Color Correcting:

• Mac NC50 Pro Longwear Concealer – I have just added this step to my makeup routine ever since I got breakouts from my NARS foundation. I do this to cover any imperfections that my foundation can’t. (this concealer is in my shade) I typically use a damped beauty blender sponge for this step and blend this all over my face, focusing on problem areas and blending whatever is left on my sponge, on the rest of my face.

2. Foundation Application:

• Mac Matchmaster Foundation in 7.5 – I then go over my concealer with my foundation for added coverage. I use a stippling brush for this step.

3. Highlight and Contour:

• Mac NC45 Pro Longwear Concealer – I use this concealer to highlight areas I want to bring forward – under my eyes in a triangular shape, down the bridge of my nose, in the center of my forehead, center of my chin (sometimes) and on my cupid’s bow.
• Mac Prep & Prime Translucent Setting Powder – I use this in areas where I highlight. You don’t want to use a powder thats the same shade as your skin tone to set your highlight because then you’ve just wasted time highlighting, but to each his own.
• Mac Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Dark – I use this to set my foundation and blend out the edges of my concealer so everything is seamless 🙂
• Covergirl Queen Collection Bronzer in Ebony Bronze – I’ve yet to experience with creams and liquids for contouring, so for now I’ve been powder contouring using this product. I apply this in all areas I want to appear slimmer – the hallows of my cheeks, down the sides of my nose, jawline and temples.
• Mac Bronzer in Gold Deposit – This is a beautiful gold shimmery bronzer/highlight. I use this on the high points of my cheekbones to give that extra oomph! 😉 and on my cupid’s bow.

4. Blush:

• BlackUp Blush in number 06 

5. Lipstick:

• Mac Ruby Woo Matte Lipstick – the most beautiful red with blue undertones, I usually pair this lipstick with any black lip liner – typically one I purchased from the hair store or the beauty section at my local supermarket.

6. Finishing Spray:

• I either gravitate toward my MAC Fix+ or Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray, either one works – I sprits this all over my face to set everything in place and for a matte finish and VOILA!

Here’s a shot of my this makeup look. I was unable to find good lighting this entire night and seeing as it was dark out, I couldn’t get any natural light. On the left is with flash, before; and on the right is after my night out without flash. Both pics taken with my iPhone 5s back camera.

Hope you guys enjoyed this look and liked this post!

— BreathingGlamor xx

Trying to find the perfect shade?

Have you ever been so overwhelmed by the large quantity of foundations or powders and you are just absolutely clueless as to what shade you should buy?

Sometimes, if we are buying drugstore products, we are not allowed to test the products before buying them; some stores even have a no return policy (lunatics), so we are most times forced to either bring our current foundation that we absolutely love or have been shade matched with and try to do the side-by-side comparisons to see if they look anything alike -sigh-

But I have THEE perfect solution to that. Here’s a site that I personally use when I want to save myself the stress of doing the side-by-side comparisons or trying to shade match.

Click Here!

So far, it has been pretty spot on and I am so confident that this will work for you too! Give it a shot!

— BreathingGlamor xx

My First NARS Foundation Experience/Review

I have been researching endlessly on the best foundation to purchase from NARS, and I came across countless amount of beauty gurus raving about their Sheer Glow/Matte Foundation.  I decided to go downtown on Jan 17, 2015 to the NARS makeup counter and ask for a sample of their Sheer Matte foundation – I have combination oily skin type – to test it out for about a week max.

 According to the NARS Cosmetics website, this is an oil-free, soft-matte-finish foundation with sheer, buildable coverage that controls shine throughout the day while evening the skin tone. Replete with skincare benefits and the NARS Complexion Brightening Formula, it leaves skin more luminous, softer and smoother. Used daily, Sheer Matte Foundation improves the skin’s brightness and texture.

• For normal, normal-to-oily and oily skin types
• Oil free; absorbs oil and controls shine
• Contains powerful anti-oxidants to protect against damaging free radicals and turmeric extract to improve skin’s radiance and tone
• Dermatologist tested. Non-comedogenic. Fragrance free.

Keeping all of this in mind, I thought “WOW! Can a foundation be anymore perfect?!”

The following day, I applied the foundation with my damped beauty blender sponge, and the foundation was everything I expected it to be; it was love at first application (lol).

As the day progressed, the foundation remained oil-free and matte. It was typical Cayman weather, hot but not “makeup melting hot”. After about 6 hours of wearing the foundation, I was impressed. I only had to blot excess oils away once, which is record breaking.

Monday came along and this would be the real test! I got ready for work that morning (I worked in a restaurant business, right by the sea) primed my face with Benefit’s Porefessional – as usual – applied the foundation, and the rest of my makeup which consisted of concealer, eyebrows, powder contour, blush, shimmer highlight, mascara, etc. however, I did not use a setting spray this day.While at work, I found myself in the restroom blotting about 6-8 times in the matter of 4 hours – BIZZARE, I KNOW – I could hardly wait to finish my shift to go home to wash that mess of a foundation off.

I also took note of how the foundation oxidizes, and to my surprise, this foundation had a bit of red undertones in there which I hate because, though I am a darker complexion, I have yellow undertones.

Two more days of this foundation and I am noticing breakouts on my forehead and cheek area.

SN: I do not have problematic skin; I have never had acne in my life nor do I have sensitive skin.

When I noticed this happening, I immediately stopped using this product and since then I have not seen any new blemishes.

So all in all, would I recommend this foundation to anyone? will I go back to purchase the regular sized bottle of this foundation? No and No.

Keep in mind though, cliche but true, what might not work for me, might work for you, vise versa.

Hope this helps!

— BreathingGlamor xx