Make it last!

Hello lovelies!

My beautiful reader Bernadette spends her days in the classroom teaching the future leaders of our nation. Touching up her makeup isn't an option and no one likes an over powdered cake face. Never fear, my dear! I have some tried and true tips for keeping your face fresh and flawless all day.

It all begins with how you prep your skin. Whether you're dry or oily, the products you use to smooth out your canvas make a huge difference in the staying power of your foundation. I don't necessarily mean using a primer either.

Take a look at your current moisturizer. Now look at your foundation. Are they both water based? Is one oil based? An oil based foundation is going to slide right off a water based moisturizer. These two products must live in harmony. The same goes if you're using a primer.

Powder is a good way to set your liquid or cream foundations and keep it in place all day. You can use either a pressed or loose powder. Loose powders absorb more oil throughout the day and pressed powders provide more coverage.

Layering your products is another way to keep fresh and bright looking all day long. Use a colored cream eye shadow base or blush before putting your powder products on. This will not only prevent creasing but keep your colors true. For lips I recommend using a stain underneath lipstick so even when it wears off there's that pretty just bitten effect left.

My new favorite discovery is setting sprays. Once all my makeup is done I spritz a few pumps all over my face. This has pretty much eliminated my need to blot, powder, and touch up. I just use the cheapy ELF Mist and Set but there are a huge variety that claim multiple benefits.

I know it's been awhile since I've posted so if you're still with me, thank you! I was finally able to travel to the great state of Texas to complete my job training. It's like being back in college again. I'll try to do a few tutorials over the next few days, but I can't wait to get back home. Texas is not for me. I don't like these huge bugs :) Muah!

Smooch me!

Hello lovelies!

Today I have a review of the Cover Girl Lipslicks Smoochies Lip Balm. I walked by these in the store countless times with little interest. Sure, the packaging is darling but the names (ie: "#C u l8r" and "#tweet me") are kind of obnoxious. What drew me in was Ulta's Buy 1 get one 50% off sale, like always. 

I chose the matte red #Tweet Me and the nude pink shimmery #Smooch. #Tweet Me is a gorgeous orangey red color. It's subtle enough for day to day wear. It's one of those "is she wearing lipstick or isn't she?" shades. I love the color and it lasts for hours, even through eating and drinking. 

#Smooch is the most perfect nude color ever for my skin tone. It's fairly similar to my natural lip color but it's frosted. My only complaint actually is the shimmer, and not because it's there, it's the fact that it's fairly large so the balm feels grainy. If I'm not rubbing my lips together it's fine but when I do it's just uncomfortable.

This are great little lip balms to throw in your pocket on the go. They're moisturizing and long lasting without being too shiny and never sticky. I'm going to pick up a few more shades next time I go to Ulta.

Thoughts on this product?

Duped the Dior

Can you tell which eye is wearing Diorshow?

Hello lovelies! Finding a suitable drugstore replacement for the beloved Diorshow mascara has been incredibly difficult. I hated the product myself and had to force myself to wear it to get an idea of the formula. After considering several different mascaras I've decide that the one most like the Dior is the Cover Girl Flamed Out mascara. Funny enough, I don't like that one either. By the way, Dior is on my right eye.

Even though I don't care for this Cover Girl mascara, I still think it's better than the Diorshow. It lengthens and volumizes where the Diorshow only separates and provides a tiny bit of volume. The main difference between the two is the Cover Girl is a wetter formula so I recommend wiping the sides of the brush off before application.

I think one of the main draws to the Diorshow mascara is the big fluffy brush. This type of wand is meant to catch the lashes and build volume from root to tip. The Cover Girl mascara also has a big fluffy wand but it has an hour glass shape to it. I can't think of any other mascara wand that is shaped in this way, but it helps you get into the corners of your eye and catch all the lashes.

Here's a close up comparison of the two for you. Diorshow retails for $25 and the Cover Girl Flamed Out is $7.99.