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 

Masking the Evidence

Hi everyone!
One of the things I never talk about in my entries is the masks I use. So last night as I was checking out at Target and thought to myself, "this would be fun to blog about!" So here we are!
Now, I don't know how many of you like to do facial masks with the different gel, clay, and mud's you can find in stores today, but what I know is that there are good cheap masks out there that are very good for your skin and it is just a matter of branching out and seeing what they can do for you!

To begin, you obviously want to get your hair out of your face. I found this cute spa elastic headband at Target for like $4.99 so naturally I couldn't help myself and had to get it! (See Mrs. Costello, who needs draping ;)) Once my hair is pulled back, I always like to take my makeup off so that I am applying the mask directly to my skin and not hours old makeup.

Next comes the mask. I love this one in particular because it isn't only replenishing, but I also feel like when I remove it my pore sizes are reduced; and that's what we all want right?! Another great thing about this mask is that not only was it like $1.29 at Target, but the Que Bella line is almost all natural so it's really good for you. I know it would be better if it were all organic but sadly, it's not. However, finding an all organic mask is my next mission and I will be sure to share one when I come across it!

   
Okay, so for the application part, I simply used my fingers and applied it to my entire face. I know some people don't like to put it around their eyes, but I always find it to feel rejuvenating and I have never had a problem removing it from those tight areas.
I left this mask on for about 20 minutes while I put my other groceries away. That's the great thing about masks at home, while you're trying to relax your skin, you can be doing other things as well!

Removal: I use a warm damp wash cloth and I simply wipe it away and when the cloth feels "full" I rinse it under the water and use it again.
*Be sure to be gentle though because some cloths are very rough and can irritate your skin while removing the mask.

Here is my after picture with no makeup on! When you read the back of the package it says, "... and refresh your tired skin." Honestly, I feel as though it does just that! After this clay mask I always feel confident to go into public without any makeup on because my skin simply looks and feels that great!

The A Lister's Favorite Drug Store Brands

Okay, so all of us women love makeup and want to learn how to do more with it. I mean why would you be paying attention to my makeup blog if you didn't? Also, we are all on a budget... and if I am honest, makeup takes a lot of mine lol. So, I went to Target the other day and after checking out I realized that I bought an entire new set of makeup and seriously only spent like $40. My mind was blown. That's seriously like one compact of powder for some of the name brands that aren't even that reputable. So there you have it. I have officially been converted. That being said, I have created a chic/relaxed look today that I hope you all will enjoy!

Step 1 which is also my number one rule no matter what, always start with a clean face! That way you're not clogging your pores so much that you begin to get pimples.

This seriously is my new favorite foundation ladies. It is light and you don't have to put a lot of it on to get full coverage.

To apply the foundation, simply rub the sponge that comes with it in the creme and swirl away! Be sure to cover all of your skin though!

This new powder is a gift from the makeup gods. I got the medium/dark shade and this is truly a skin tone matching powder. It is perfect on my face!

To apply this, I bought a cheap makeup pad because I do not like the little brushes that come with them. So when using the makeup pad, I applied the powder in a circular motion all over my face including my eyes.

Speaking of eyes, here is the most wonderful eye pallet ever! It can be used for a smokey eye, a single shade, or simply use the primer for a full coverage and skin tone evener and then throw on some mascara and go!

First, I used the primer creme (far right, bottom) and put it all over my upper lids and under my eyebrows with my finger.

Then, I used the illumination creme (far right, upper) under my eyes and applied it with my finger as well.

Here, I used the bottom gold shadow and applied it all over my upper eyelids and under my eyebrows.

Then, using the beige just about the gold shadow, I applied it only to my eyelids.

Now, to create my crease I used the top purple shadow and put it on my crease and all this time I have been using the shadow applicator that came with the pallet.

Then, using my finger, I gently blended in the shadow I applied to my crease to my eye lids and under my eyebrows.

And then, using the dark brown shadow, I applied a line of shadow to my lash lines on my upper and lower lids to create depth and break up the soliditiy.

This is a cat eye revolution my loves! This liquid eyeliner will get you hooked! It has a very tight brush so that it will not put on a thick line and have a very sharp-pointed end to create the perfect cat eye!

There are two previous cat-eye tutorials. The Baby Cat Eye and The Cat Eye.

This is simply a straight on view. I personally love doing cat-eyes. However, if you desire a straight line, feel free! It's your face darling!

Then comes the brown eye liner pencil. I almost always go for brown because I have blue eyes and it isn't as harsh as black eye liner. (Excuse my pad to keep it from rolling lol)

So using the brown eye liner pencil, I applied it to my waterlines.

I then applied it to the bottom eyelid. Then using the little sponge on the end, as you will see in the next picture, I spread it out as well as soften it so that there is not such a definite line.

So in this picture, I have spread out my eyeliner on the bottom. Also, I using my bronzer that will be shown with the cheeks, I slightly darkened my eyebrows.

Now in this picture I tried to focus on the "FLAMED OUT" which is a new CG mascara and I must say I am a fan!

So first, as many of my readers know, I hate putting mascara on my top lashes first for several reasons. So here I have applied mascara to my bottom lashes.

And here I now have applied mascara to my top and bottom eyelashes.

And now we have E.L.F. blush and bronzer. Also, I bought an E.L.F. blush brush because you can never have too many!

In this step, I have simply applied the bronzer to my cheeks as if it is a dark blush. It accentuates the cheek bones as well as gives depth to the sides of your face.

Here is a side view of my bronzer.

Next, I applied to actual blush to my upper cheek bones only. It adds a soft hint of pink and tones down the boldness of the bronzer.

I also bought an NYC twistable. Red is a classic lip color and can be worn with anything!

And there you have it! Thank you all so much and I hope you were inspired in one way or another! XOXO Lala!