Spray Tan? You Mean Goddess Glow, Right?

 Hello my beautiful people! How are you today? I hope well! 

How many times have you seen a person walking around with a spray tan and their makeup didn't help their case? Often; I know. And if you haven't seen someone like this, just google pics of spray tans and you will see what I am referring to. However, the goal of this post is to hopefully spare you from being seen as one of "those people with a spray tan" if you know what I mean. By using light shades and simple application techniques, you can master how to apply a full face of makeup without being of the "fake bake" people. So on that note, let us begin! 

So as always, I post a picture of myself without any makeup on. As you can see in this picture, I have a light spray tan and my face is much lighter than my neck and collar bone area.

If you have one of these little pink things, it will help you tremendously! This is called a Beauty Blender and it is my new favorite way to blend my makeup! They can be purchased just about everywhere and personally, I ordered a 5 pack off of Amazon.com. But, if you do not have one, then using a brush to blend will work, of course. 

These will be the products I use today to create my spray tan makeup look. NYX is my favorite brand of  makeup at the moment; however, True Match by L'oreal matches my skin best I have discovered. From right to left, this is what we will be using: foundation, liquid contour, blush, setting powder, eyebrow powder, eye shadows, finishing spray, mascara, lipstick, and last but not least, lip gloss.

Step 1: Applying Foundation

Using a foundation brush, I applied foundation to my cheeks, forehead, nose and chin.

Then, using my beauty blender, I blended the various foundation applications to give my face a smooth foundation that matched the spray tan on my neck and collar bone area.

Step 2: Contour

I use a liquid contour when I have a spray tan because I just prefer it over powder. When choosing a contour shade, you typically want to go 2 to 3 shades darker than your skin tone. 2 shades darker will create a beautiful contrast and 3 shades darker will create a bolder contour. For this makeup look however, I only went 1 shade darker for my contour because we are trying to give a natural twist to a skin shade that is not natural to us. So using my same foundation brush, I applied liquid contour to my cheekbones, sides of my nose, jawline, temples and across the top of my forehead.

Using the beauty blender, I blended out the liquid contour. The objective of the liquid contour is to give depth to your cheekbones, slim the nose, thin out the jawline, and give my forehead a smaller appearance. But remember, those are the parts of my face that I contour. You may be different. You may like how your jawline appears and feel no need to contour it. Or, you may be happy with your forehead and don't want to contour it. Great! But I don't have a forehead, I have fivehead, so I do. 

Step 3: Blush

Because we are trying to make a spray tan look natural, I like to use a peachy red blush color. I do this because blush is used to assist the contour and bring more depth to the cheekbones and since we already use a darker color for the contour, using a bronze blush or pink blush washes out the contour you have just applied. At least that has been my experience. 

So using a blush brush, you want to apply your blush to the apples of your cheeks. That is, if you look in the mirror and smile, it's the part of your cheeks that puff out so to speak. I know that is a terrible description and I am sorry, but you know what I mean. :)

Step 4: Finishing Powder

Because we are finished with the face part and ready to move on to the eyebrows, using a finishing powder will help set your foundation, contour, and blush that you have applied. Apply the finishing powder by using a powder brush.

Step 5: Eyebrows

Here I am using the NYX blonde eyebrow set. Because with this look I do not want my eyebrows to be too strong, I simply filled them in using the darker shade to the left in the picture above.

Step 6: Eye Shadow

The eye shadow pallet I love to death is NYX Love in Paris, Parisian Chic. I wish the names of the shadows were printed on the back, but they are not; so I will direct you to which shade I am using. As far as brushes, I use 3 when I apply my eye shadow. One for the lighter shades, one for the darker shades, and then one to blend with. In the picture above, the fatter brush of the 3 is the one I use to blend with. The other two brushes are my light and dark shadow brushes. I am going to use very neutral brown shadows for this look so that I do not make my eyes to strong and over power the tan.

So to begin with the eye shadow, I apply a base shade all over my lid that will also serve as the shade for my shadow directly under my eyebrow. In the picture on the left, I have applied the very middle brown eye shadow to my right eye (left in the picture). In the picture on the right, I have the middle brown applied to both eyes and I have used the sparkly brown directly to the right of the middle brown in the pallet to serve as the color for my eyelid and is applied on my right eye (left in the picture). As you can see, these are light colors and so the darker you want them, the thicker you can pack on the powder to your lid.

Here, in the picture on the left, I have applied the sparkly brown mentioned above to the eyelid of my left eye (right eye in the picture). On the right eye (left eye in the same picture) I applied the dark sparkly brown (top right corner shade in the pallet) to the crease of my eye. It is not really important for you to apply this neatly because soon you will be blending it with the blending eye shadow brush. In the picture on the right, I have applied the dark sparkly brown to both eyes and on my right eye (left in the picture) I have applied the dark sparkly brown to my bottom lid every so lightly.

Above in the picture on the right, I have applied the dark sparkly brown to my left eye (right in the picture). Then, using my blending eye shadow brush, I blended the dark sparkly brown I applied to my crease. In the picture on the right, both eyes have been blended using the blending eye shadow brush.

Step 7: Matte Finishing Spray

This is the NYX matte finishing spray and it locks in your makeup and keeps a matte finish to your face so that you don't look oily. What you will do is simply spray the finishing spray all over your face. But make sure you just mist your face, you don't want your face to be dripping wet.

Step 8: Mascara

Here I used the NYX BMC04 Faux Lashes Luscious Volume Mascara. Add as much mascara as you'd like but don't apply so much that your eyelashes clump together. That is not cute and defeats the whole look. :)

Step 9: Lips

In the top picture, I applied the NYX Butter Lipstick in Hubba Bubba. In the bottom picture, I applied the NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Nude Pink on top of the butter lipstick. 

And there you have it! How to apply a full face of makeup with a spray tan and not look fake! BUT, if you would like to take this look a little further, why not add some eyelashes?! If you would like to add lashes, scroll down! :) 

Eyelashes! 

What you will need: a pair of eyelashes and glue. I use tweezers as well because I feel like I can maneuver my eyelash strip better using them than using my finger alone. The glue of my preference is DUO eyelash adhesive in white/clear. It goes on white and it dries clear! So even if you accidentally get glue on your eyelid, let it dry for a second and nobody will ever know! So in the bottom picture, I have lined a strip of eyelashes with glue. ALWAYS let the glue sit for about 20 to 30 seconds on the strip because that allows time for the glue to become tacky so that when you apply the strip, it won't slide around.

I like to hold my lashed upside down first before placing them just to make sure I get them as close to my lash line as possible. In the picture on the right you can see I have the strip in place and you can see where the glue is white and will dry clear. 

Above shows the strip I glued on dry and as you can see, you cannot see the glue you could in the previous picture. On the right you will see my baby girl, Indie Marie, who fell asleep while I was putting on this makeup and so I thought I would share her with you because she is just too adorable!

In the picture on the left, I have applied eyelashes to both eyes. Picture on the right is just sass. 

Thank you all, I love you guys!! I hope this gave you some ideas for makeup to do when you have a spray tan. Until next time! XOXO

How To Cover Skin Discoloration

Hello everyone! This blog is a special one because there are women everywhere that feel the need to hide themselves and their faces due to skin discoloration but that has to change! We are too wonderful to be worried about that! So last night in class (I'm an esthetician student at night) I was receiving a facial and having the oils vacuumed out of my skin. Well who knows if the level was too high or it was left in one place for too long but I happened to end up with a hickey (when blood gets pulled to the visible surface of the skin) along my right eye. 

I wasn't upset at all though because it was simply an accident and it allows me the opportunity to make a blog about how to cover it up! So my methods below can easily apply to almost all skin discoloration depending on how severe the color is. If there are any questions, please email me! I love hearing from my viewers! 

Makeup: I recently switched over to almost all Almay because it doesn't make my skin feel heavy and it also is very natural for sensitive skin so it doesn't irritate my skin to wear.

And with that, lets begin! 

So on the side of my right eye is my beautiful hickey we are going to cover up!

 Step 1: Concealers.
The upper left picture shows my eye concealer, it's called Wake Up, how fitting lol.
- apply that under the eye and on the upper lid.
The upper right picture is the regular face concealer and it looks as if it's in a tube for lipgloss which makes for an easy application.
- apply concealer to the areas that are darker and to areas with pimples like you do your normal concealer.
* For the discolored areas, apply your concealer a little heavier than normal. As you can see in the lower right picture, I have applied thick kind of large rectangular dots down the length of my hickey.
BLEND: for blending, I using my fingers. It is much easier to pat the concealer on the discolored areas to blend it than it is to use a brush and wipe the concealer away from the area it was applied to.

Step 2: Primer.
This is the Luminous Primer and it is pink in the bottle. Once on the skin however, it changes shades to match your skin tone. I love primer so I always like to put on a little more so it almost looks like there is a pink tint to my face.
- to apply primers, pump out a little dot onto your finger and put it on your cheek. Do this several times till you have covered your face like in the upper right picture.
BLEND: using your fingers, rub the primer all over your face.
* Be careful though! Dab it on the discolored area because you don't want to rub the base concealer away!

Step 3: Foundation.
The Almay smart shade foundation is seriously the best thing to ever happen to me! No more trying 100 different shades to never have any of them match! I have the light/medium foundation and as you can see on the brush in the bottom left picture, it comes out a cream color. Also, as you can see in the upper right picture, where I have applied the foundation in little sections, the edges have already taken to the tone of my skin.
- apply your foundation in little sections with a foundation brush and then blend it to cover your entire face including your jaw line.
* Where the discoloration is, pat the foundation EVER SO GENTLY because the brush is much harder than your fingers and just a few bristles on that area will remove what you have already applied. I know I'm making this sound scary but it's not. I just don't want you to accidentally remove what you have applied and then have to start all over because I know personally how frustrating that is and I don't want it to happen to you! :)

Step 4: Contouring.
Contouring can be done several ways and then you just pick the way that works best for you. However, I am going to show you how I do it. For my contour color, I use a Loreal concealer stick that is about 2 to 3 shades darker than my skin tone because I like to add depth to my face. Why I use the Loreal is because Almay likes to focus on smart shade makeup which is amazing, but you don't want your contour to match your skin tone because then it's pointless to even do it. Contouring is good because accents your jawline, makes your cheekbones stand out, and makes your nose appear smaller. To blend the lines though, I use a beauty blender. I have tried contouring brushes before and for me personally, they do not work.
- apply the contouring concealer by drawing a line on your jawline, under your cheekbones, sides of your nose, down your temple, center of your forehead, and then off center of your forehead.
- using a beauty blender, I move it in an upward downward motion for the length of the line to ensure that it gets blended completely. Do this for all of the lines.
* Some of you may not need to contour over your discoloration areas, but I had to over my hickey. So, using the beauty blender, I used a gentle side-to-side movement with a light touch to be sure to only blend out the line. I did not push down hard enough to actually move my makeup.

Step 5: Blush.
When I was at Target getting my makeup, this looked to be the closest to a bronze blush.
- apply the blush to the apple of the cheekbones.
+ In the upper right picture where I am sucking my cheeks in, you can see where I have contoured under my cheekbone making it easier to see where I am going to apply my blush.
+ In the lower left picture you can see where I have applied blush to my right cheek (your left).
In the bottom right picture, I have applied blush to both cheeks and you can see how it sits on the apple of my cheekbones right above where we contoured.
* If the discoloration is on your cheeks, simply dab the blush on very lightly. If you want a more intense blush color, simply dab more on. Be sure not to do too much though cause if you need to wipe the blush off, you're going to take your makeup off with it over the discolored areas.

Step 6: Powder.
This is the smart shade powder for medium light skin and it is amazing! Powder is great because it "sets" everything onto your face. You can put makeup on, but powders job is to make sure it stays on.
- apply powder buy simply brushing it over your face.
* When on your discolored areas, be gentle!!

Step 7: The Brows.

This is a brow kit I got at Sally's Beauty Supply and I just love it! 

- apply a darker brown shadow, or black if you prefer, to your eyebrows using a small eyeshadow brush. 

In the upper right picture, I have filled in my right eyebrow (your left).

In the lower right picture, both are filled in.

Step 8: Mascara.

I bought a new Almay voluminous mascara and the color is sapphire which is a shade of blue and I love it because from a distance it is dark but is not black when up-close. 

- apply to your lower lashes first, and then your upper lashes. 

In the bottom left picture I have applied my lower mascara. 

In the bottom right picture, I have applied my upper mascara. 

Step 9: Lips.

This is a Revlon lip stick and this color is Audacious because I really love orange lips right now. I think it is a very good color for summer.

- apply it to your lips like normal lipstick.

And there you have it!

Hickey be gone! 

XOXO Lala 

Lash Tabbing

First, I would like to start off by recognizing my viewers in Russia! I think it is so cool that people on a whole other continent can see my passion at work. XOXO

So, lash tabbing is a way to make your lashes longer temporarily. Normally, ladies and men alike use lash tabbing on the upper lashes as an alternative to having to glue on strips of lashes. One major benefit to that is there is no limit to how many tabs you can apply!! Where in a strip of lashes, there are only so many. In this tutorial however, I will be demonstrating the art of lash tabbing using my bottom lashes because I believe it is easier to see how I do it that way. The only thing that will change when you lash tab your own lashes is the direction you apply them. For the bottom lashes each cluster is turned upside down to face downward. So if you are wishing to apply them to your upper lashes, you will have them face upward.

What you will need: a pallet of lash tabs. I purchased mine at Sally's Beauty Supply. However, they are sold at Wal-Mart, Target, Ulta, and many other places. Secondly, you will need some glue. I recommend the blue Duo glue (there is a pink kind also). And lastly, a pair of tweezers. 

** Be sure though that before you begin, apply light mascara to your lashes so that there is a layer of material on your lashes for glue to bond with.

1.) Put a little pile of glue on the lash tray or another surface.

2.) Using the tweezers, remove a cluster of lashes from the pallet.

3.) Still holding the cluster of lashes with the tweezers, drag the tip of the cluster across the glue. Do not submerge or stick the tip of the cluster directly down into the glue. 

4.) If number 3 was done correctly, there should be a bead of glue on the base of the cluster that will be in contact with the lashes.

5.) Using the bead of glue, drag a line down the lash you want to put the tab on. Always start in the outer corner of your eye no matter what length of tabs you are using. 

6.) After waiting 10-15 seconds so that the glue can begin getting sticky and not as fluid, apply the cluster to the eyelash. After letting it sit for 5-10 seconds, put the eyelash and tab between the 2 tweezer prongs, press the lash and tab together to make sure they are sticking to each other.

** If the glue from the bottom lash gets on the upper lashes because of blinking, use the tweezers to break the glue strand. It won't hurt you but it does get very annoying to have your upper and lower lashes sticking together so make sure the glue is dry.

7.) Now you have applied your first tab! See the little white dot at the top of the tab? That is glue. If you use the blue Duo glue, give is a few second and it will dry clear. If you use a different kind of glue and it dries white, simply take black eyeliner and color it in.

8.) Repeat steps 2-6 as many times as you'd like for the number of tabs your wish to apply. I usually apply 5-6 tabs per eye so that it can blend in with my natural lashes as well. 

This is one of my most favorite eyeliners. It has great pigment and stays on very well.

9.) Using your eyeliner, fill in your waterline.

10.) Using your eyeliner, "color" between the tabs on your waterline and lower eyelid. The objective here is to blend the tab bases into your eyeliner so that they are not as noticeable.

11.) Finally, apply a second layer of mascara to your bottom lashes. Be sure to apply it to the tabs as well as your lashes toward your inner eye. 

And now you have beautiful lower lashes! Thanks loves!! XOXO Lala