Highlighting

A lot of my friends ask me the same old questions about highlighting, which usually include: "What exactly is highlighting?" and "Why do people do it?".

Well highlighting your face means you use a light shimmery cream or powder to highlight the high parts of your face. The purpose of this is to help give your face dimension and by giving your face dimension by highlighting and contouring, it helps your face to appear slimmer. Highlighting isn't a technique I would suggest woman to use for their everyday makeup, but on special occasions like a date, a party or a evening out I would definitely suggest trying it out. I have a bit of a rounder face so I find it to make a huge difference when I contour and highlight my face.

So what areas of your face should you highlight?

The first area that I always encourage people to highlight is the inner corners of their eyes. This can make such a big difference in your look. It helps to make your eyes appear larger and brings a lot more attention to them. I usually use a white shimmery shadow and use my finger to dab it into my inner corners. You could also use a soft pink or grey on the inner corners, I use white because I already have very fair skin.

You can also highlight your brow bone as well, giving your eyes more depth and dimension. This helps keep more focus on your eyes.

The next area I would suggest is your cheek bones, this helps make them stand out and also gives you a healthy dewy look to your skin. For this area you could also use a shimmery shadow, but I would suggest a cream personally because you want your skin to have a healthy glow to it, using a shadow could make it look too matte and cakey.

Another area would be down the bridge of your nose. Personally I skip this part because I don't want any attention drawn to my nose. But for people interested in this step I would suggest to lightly use your choice of highlighter, cream or powder, and gently swipe it down the bridge of your nose to help your nose appear a bit slimmer and help to give you more of the dewy look.

 The last area I suggest to people to highlight is right above your upper lip. This really helps to make your lips stand out more and make them appear fuller. I think it helps to give that pouty kind of look.


Thanks for reading!

NEW BLOG!!

Hey everyone! Just wanted to write a brief post on my new blog page, Dear Prudence. I will still be posting here of course though!

I have collaborated with a friend of mine, Cassi Kennedy, who runs a fashion blog. We started a blog to help girls who are on a budget but still want to look nice, fashionwise and makeupwise.

So if you are interested, and if you like my blog then go check it out! Let me know what you all think and FOLLOW MY OTHER BLOG please! Thanks everyone!

www.dearprudey.blogspot.ca

Thanks for reading!

:D

Great Summer BB Cream

In the summer it can be difficult for some girls to keep their skin looking fresh and flawless since it's hot outside and our makeup tends to melt off. Not a pretty look, am I right?

My suggestion for summer is to switch from your regular foundation to a tinted moisturizer, or a BB Cream. Garniers BB Cream (sold at walmart and drug stores) is a great choice for summer because it not only evens out your skin, but it provides spf for your skin of 15. Keeping your skin protected from the sun helps to prevent wrinkles in the future, so that's a plus. 

BB Cream is actually better for your skin than foundation is because it doesn't clog your pores and actually helps to clear up acne and keep your skin moisturized. 

The only downfall to this Garnier BB Cream is that I find it leaves my skin looking a little oily. But this is easy to take care of by just using some translucent powder in your T zone to get rid of some of the shine. I like to leave my cheeks looking a little dewy so I don't put any powder there.

BB Cream will help to give you a nice, natural glow for the summer rather than a cakey, runny mess. To read more on BB Cream check out my BB Cream blog post! Thanks for reading!!

joda

M I A !!

Hey everyone!

I know I have been missing from my blog for the past little while. I was extremely busy finishing up my journalism degree and working. I took time away from my blog to get these other important things out of my way! So I successfully graduated from the journalism program in Windsor, Ontario!

I just wanted to thank everyone for still supporting my blog even while I have been missing! I will be continuing to update my blog and keep on posting on a weekly basis now that I am done school and not as occupied. I have a LOT more free time now so you can expect to see much more from me!

Thanks for reading! Love you's!

Joda

Revlon Photoready Airbrush Mousse Foundation Review

A couple of months ago, a friend of mine told me about how much she loves this new airbrush foundation by revlon. Now some of you may or may have heard about it and I would like to say that I actually like this better then my mac studio sculpt foundation that I usually buy. I'll get into why I like this product better a little later.

So back to why I bought the product. I bought it because it was on sale at Rexall (where my friend works) and I decided that it was worth a try. Plus I get airmiles at Rexall so that may or may not have swayed my decision to buy this. I was a bit skeptical about the product when I was buying it because it is a mousse and I usually stay away from mousse because I don't usually find it does much for my skin.

The day after I bought the product, I decided to open it up and give er a go. At first I was a little unsure on how I should apply this because, again, it's a mousse. I was also unsure of how much of the product I was going to need. I gently pumped out some foam onto the back of my hand and decided to use a stippling brush to apply it which seemed to work pretty well. I find that I really only need a dime size amount of the product because one small pump does go a long way.

After I lost my stippling brush, I started using a regular foundation brush, which I actually like a lot better than my stippling brush which is surprising because I usually LOVE and rave about the stippling brush. With the regular foundation brush, I just gently press the brush into the product and using small strokes, apply it to my face. I would NOT suggest using your fingers to apply this product. Not even in an emergency situation would I use my fingers to apply this. I did it once, and I looked like an oompa loompa. Not cute at all.

Now on to why I choose this product over my mac studio sculpt that I usually buy. For the longest time I was only using my mac foundation, every once in a while I would try something new but I would always go back to my mac. Now don't get me wrong, i still love mac. I have been using this product for a few months now and I am on my second container of it. I was starting to find it a little stressful buying the mac foundation because in Canada, it costs me around $42 every time I need a new one, which as a student, has become a hard option for me. I knew I needed to try and find something a little cheaper.

 This product works for me and I like it a bit better because it is very lightweight on my skin and doesn't make it look oily or anything like that. I also find that it lasts a long time and really stays on your skin well. The one bad thing I would say is that it can dry out your skin a bit, but I usually just put on a bit of primer or just some lotion before applying the foundation and I don't have any problems with it.

Again, everyones skin is different so this could be different for other people. I have very fair skin, and it tends to be on the dryer side. I do break out every so often and this foundation does a great job at hiding flaws without looking too cakey. So if you have skin similar to mine, you may want to try this out. It is a bit of a heavier coverage so keep that in mind if you are looking to try this product out.

This is a photo of me and a friend (I'm the blond on the right). I am wearing this foundation in this photo and as you can see it has great coverage for me and it still gives my skin a nice dewy kind of look to it. Not greasy, not dry, dewy. Just thought I would throw this photo in to give you guys an idea of what kind of coverage it gives.

Thanks for reading!! Have a Happy Easter everyone! If you celebrate Easter?

10,000 pageviews!

Hey everyone!

I just wanted to thank everyone for all of their support with the blog. I was really excited this weekend to see that I had reached 10,000 pageviews!

I never in a million years thought I would make it to 10,000 pageviews before summer hit, so thank you all again so much! I have been trying to blog as much as I possibly can, but it has been hard since I am in my last semester of Journalism. I have been extremely busy with my schooling and internship, so once summer hits I will be blogging A LOT more often. Since I have been busy, I am so pleasantly surprised by the 10,000 pageviews.

Anyways, I've babbled long enough. Thanks again!

Kim Kardashian Makeup Looks

 I wanted to first start this blog off by showing you what kim looks like without makeup on. So the above picture shows that but you can also see that kim is really quite a pretty girl. Now, I am not a huge fan of kim kardashian or anything like that. But I will agree that she is pretty and I am doing this blog because a lot of people like kim and want to know about her makeup. Enjoy!

This is makeup look number one because I feel like when you see kim in magazines, this is her typical look. For her face she definitly wears a high coverage foundation, no one's skin is that perfect. She has on a really pretty pink blush, one that is more subtle. I would choose one that is easier to build up. Then for her eyes it looks like she is only wearing a white eyeshadow and maybe some black or dark grey on the outer corners with black eyeliner on her top lashline and on the lower lashline. Her eyes are completely lined all around which gives her eyes a great shape. Of course she has mascara on as well. Then the lips are a nude lipstick and a gloss over top.

I want to start off by saying that I LOVE this look on Kim. She looks very elegant and timeless. So again we have the foundation (you can use whatever works best with your skin) then she has a lovely orangy peach blush on the apples of her cheeks. For her eyes, she most definitly has fake eyelashes on, so use a pair that are long and more natural looking if you choose to wear fake eyelashes. It doesn't look as though she is wearing any eyeshadow at all, so you can leave your lids bare if you would like or use a soft white eyeshadow or even a shimmer nude eyeshadow just to hide and veins in your eyelids. The lips are the most important part here. First, her lips are lined with a deep red liner to really make the lips stand out. Then for the actual lip colour, use a red lipstick that has some orange tinge to it as well. Then overtop, use a clear gloss. Again, love this look. This is a great "going out to dinner" look.

I am not a huge fan of this look on Kim but I figured I would explain it for anyone who wishes to try it out. This look can work for certain people but not everyone can pull this off. So again, the foundation, then for the cheeks it looks like she is only wearing bronzer, and not so much blush. The eyes are the most important feature in this look. For her eyes, she has a dark grey eyeshadow on her lids then her eyes are lined all around. Then the eyeliner has been smudged down on her bottom lashline. You can achieve this smudged look by using a black or dark grey eyeshadow along the lower lashline as well. then top the look with your favourite mascara (I like falsies by maybelline). Then for the lips, use a nude lipstick and some gloss overtop. You could also use a bit of concealer on your lips if you don't have nude lipstick. This will help to keep all the attention on your eyes. I would say this is a night on the town kind of look.

How cute is this look. She reminds me of Pocahontas in this picture. For this look, you want your skin to look really glowy. So be sure to highlight your cheek bones and down the centre of your nose. Then it looks like her face has been heavily bronzed. I wouldn't go too heavy but I would use a bronzer to LIGHTLY contour the hollows of your cheeks and the sides of your forehead beside your eyebrows. Then if you want to, you can contour the sides of your nose as well. For the eyes, use a natural dark brown colour on the outer corners then a soft, shimmery white eyeshadow on the inner corners. Then use a black or brown eyeliner all around your eyes. Then top your eyes off with mascara. For the lips, I would use a very soft pink lipstick colour and a touch of gloss, not too much tho.

Again, I love the red lip on Kim, this is look is a bit different then the other red lip look we saw. Her  cheeks have a more defined blush look. I would use a blush that is a more reddish orange colour. Then for her eyes she has her top lashline lined and not the lower lashline like she usually does. Then for the eyelids again I would just use a bit of white or nude eyeshadow. Don't be shy with the mascara for this look since your bottom lashline isn't lined, you don't want to completely lose your eyes in the look. For the lips I would use a very vibrant blood red lipstick.

Thanks again for reading this blog! I hope you all enjoyed!

P.s. none of these photos were taken by me! They were found on the internet!

Taylor Swift Makeup Looks

Ever since Taylor swift hit the music scene with her album "Tim McGraw in 2006, I've been a huge fan. Since I was only about 15 years old at the time this album was release, I found the lyrics to be really easy to relate to.

I've always thought she was a really gorgeous girl, so I thought I would go through some of her makeup looks that I love. She is most famous for red lips and black cat-eye eyeliner look. I found some photos of her that show a few different looks.

I wanted to first start off this blog post by showing everyone a picture of Taylor Swift without makeup. She is clearly a naturally beautiful girl and could easily get away with no makeup.

I really love this look on taylor, it's very sweet and innocent looking. She has a nice faint pink blush on her cheeks and a beautiful peachy lip stick on which I think helps keep this look softer. For her eyes she has a shimmery light brown colour on the outer halves of her eyes then a white eyeshadow on the inner corners to help highlight. This is a simple look to achieve. She has her upper lash line lined with black eyeliner and slightly winged out on the ends. I love that she has the bottom lashline bare, I think it looks very elegant. Then of course to complete this look she has mascara.

This is an older picture of Taylor but I really like this look for her, it's a bit sexier look than her usual makeup looks. She has the smokey eyes and the pale pink lip, with a more bronzy glow. You can see in this look that the eye makeup is heavier than the picture before. She has dark grey almost black eyeshadow with is smoke out on the outer halves of her eyes. Then she has a lighter eyeshadow shade, you could use white eyeshadow or a light grey on the inner corners. Then she has her eyes lined all the way around this time which really helps make her eyes stand out here. Then OF COURSE mascara.

I chose this photo because she is actually wearing a bit of colour on her lids this time instead of neutral colours or smoky blacks and greys. It is a very dark, dramatic look on the eyes and it looks like she doesnt have any colour or gloss on her lips. Even her skin looks bare here which i LOVE. She may have a bit of blush on but it looks so natural that I'm going to say she isnt wearing any here. To get the look on her eyes I would first start off with a dark purple over the entire lid and go past your natural crease a bit. Then smoke out any harsh edges. Then I would take a black or dark grey eyeshadow over top of the lid but don't bring i t past your natural crease. You want it to look like the edges of the black or grey eyeshadow is fading out to a purple colour. Then I would take an angle brush and bring the dark purple onto the lower lashline then bring black eyeliner across my waterline. And finish it off with black mascara.

This is definitly one of my favourite Taylor Swift looks, I love the blood red lips and natural smokey eye. Her skin is absolutely flawless. It doesn't seem like she is wearing any bronzer but she does have a hint of peach blush, and I love that it's so subtle. Her lips are a blood red colour with a tiny hint of gloss over top but for the most part it's pretty matte. Her eyes have a deep brown on the outer corners and smoke out on the edges then a touch of highlighter in the inner corners of her eyes. Then She has her eyes lined all around again with a black eyeliner and topped off with mascara to complete the look.

Thanks again for reading my break down of Taylor Swifts makeup looks. I hope you all enjoyed it! Have a lovely day!

p.s. none of these photos were taken by me, they were all found on the internet.

Urban Decay Book of Shadows IV Review

For Christmas I asked my parents for the Book of Shadows IV by Urban Decay. It was the only thing I asked for and I was extremely excited when I got it. I would like to start off by saying that I really REALLY enjoy this palette. If you have never used it or seen it, I definitly suggest checking it out.

The first thing I want to talk about is the packaging of it all. It comes in a protecting box with a great eye catching design on it. It's very creative and colourful and of course it's extremely cute. I think it's very girly and very different from any other palette I have seen. This palette goes above and beyond any other I've seen.

So when you open up the palette, this is what it looks like. ^^^ It has a mirror and pop up butterflies which I think is adorable. Again very different from other palettes. Then beside the mirror there is a little pouch for your phone and a little card with get the look codes on it. This whole palette has this kind of magical feel about it so it makes doing your makeup fun rather than just a chore.

So this is the card that comes with the palette. What you would do is scan these codes using your smart phone and it will bring up a video showing you how to get that particular look using the colours in this palette. They give you five different looks to choose from and they are all very different looks so it gives you a nice variety to choose from. I mean how many other palettes that you've seen have had this feature?

After opening the palette, you will see a purple flap on the front to pull on which pulls out the actually palette itself. It comes with 16 different coloured eyeshadows, a black 24/7 liquid liner, a mini mascara, a primer potion, a speaker to plug into your phone and of course the cords to go along with it. The colours this palette comes with are relly great because it comes with your nice every day kind of colours but it comes with your really fun bold colours as well. The only bad thing I would say is that a few of the colours have glitter in it and I found that I ended up getting it all over my face. Other than that I really like ALL of the colours. I also really enjoyed the liner, it's an amazing liner and when I run out I will definitly be buying another one. It stays on extremely well and I found it easy to apply. The mascara was a pretty good one but I still prefer my falsies by  Maybelline.

This is the speaker that comes with the palette. This was one of the features about the palette that really made me want to try this palette because it was so unique. I thought it was a really great idea because you can use it to listen to the videos aloud or even just listen to music while your getting ready. Which I'm pretty sure most girls do. It even has a key chain on it so you can bring it around with you instead of keeping it with the palette itself.

Overall I really love this palette and I have found a few more products using this palette that I will definitly buy again. Like the liner, certain colours in the palette and the primer potion. Its extremely unique and fun. It's just something different to try and have fun with.

Thanks for reading!

Cover FX Total Coverage Cream Foundation

This week I have finally returned to school after a 3 week Christmas Break. I was really glad to be back at school to keep me busy. As I was getting ready for school I noticed I was going to need a new foundation soon. I stopped at a shoppers drug to look around for something new to try.

 

I usually use MAC's studio sculpt foundation but I really wanted to try something different. I probably looked at a dozen different foundations until I finally asked the lady at the counter for a recommendation. She suggested a cream foundation since I have dry skin. She pointed a few out that are most popular.

I was really intrigued by the cover fx cream foundation because I always hear very good things about that company. The lady tested it on my skin and showed me the look it gives. I decided to give it a try. It cost $38 but I also bought a brush with it. The brush that was suggested to use when applying the product is a somewhat fluffy brush but still dense which is supposed to help buff the product into your skin better.

 

I'm gonna break this down into the positives about it and the negatives.

 

Positives:

 

• great coverage
• doesn't make skin look flaky
• don't feel the need for concealer as much
• it's almost impossible to make a mess with the foundation (like spill it or getting crusty in lid)
• comes in a nice container which is easy to carry around
• doesn't look too cakey on skin

 

Negatives:

 

• doesn't wear as long as I thought it would
• I found it hard to layer with other products like bronzer and blush
• the product transfers (comes off when I touch my face)
• takes longer to apply than other foundations

 

 

Overall I liked the product. I wouldn't say I love it though. I don't think I would buy it again, I think I would go back to MAC. For people who need that extra coverage then this is a great product for you but I just don't feel like it worked great for me. But I could be wrong, I could learn a new way of using it and fall back in love with it.

 

Thanks for reading!