Tips on Hiding a Puffy or Tired Face

Well Hello There!

I've had a a tough couple of days, or week, maybe even months. However! More often than not, I've found myself trying to mask that tired puffy face. We all go through hard times and sometimes we just don't want the world to know what's going on.  Of course you can use masks and other treatments, but when you wake up for work or school in the morning, nobody has 15 minutes for a de-puffing mask/treatment. That's when the power of makeup comes to save the day.  So I figured I'd share my tips and tricks with you. Not to say there aren't many other tricks you out there, these are just the ones I used.

Moisturize! If you've been sleep deprived, crying, sick, or dealing with allergies, one of the most important things to do is moisturize! Bringing moisture back into your skin is going to help it recover. Moisture makes your skin look and feel healthy again. So right before you start covering up those under eye's... MOISTURIZE (Unintended rhyme btw)

Concealer! Every girls best friend, but personally I don't like to use anything to thick or heavy. Chances are your eyes are already sensitive from the night before, so caking anything on uner your eye is just going to be worse. I discovered this Garnier Anti-Dark Circle Roller about three years ago in the skin care section and its been a tried and true ever since. It is a 2-in-1 eye care+ concealer that has caffeine, lemon essence and mineral pigments in it to help you appear more awake. There is also a "anti-puff" formula which I have not tried yet. Oh and one more thing! Apply this in a triangle shape and on your lid. You want to make sure you are lifting the eye area. Simply dotting under your eyes can cause an unnatural look.

Eyeliner! I'm sure you've all heard about putting a white eyeliner in your waterline to make your eye appear bigger. This is a great tip, specially if your eyes are swollen. However instead of using white, which can be a little to sharp. I use either the NYX Wonder Pencil or the Lo'real Infallible Silkissime Eye Liner in the shade "highlighter". The NYX Wonder Pencil is perfect becuase it comes in multiple shades to match different skin tones and acts as a concealer for your waterline (Great for hiding redness). Now the L'Oreal Eye Liner in "highlighter" is the same color as my waterline, but it has a shimmer to it so it brightens!
*No black eyeliner! If you are going to use a black eyeliner, only put in on your upper lids!*

Shimmer Eyeshadow! The goal is to highlight as much as possible! Place a shimmery white or cream colored eyeshadow in the inner corners of your eyes. While you're at it you can throw a little bit on your brow bone! This is going to give the illusion of raised/awake look.

Curl those lashes! Before applying mascara curl your lashes. The more curved they are the better. This is going help open your eyes and reduce he look of puffiness.

Blush! You are going to want to keep a very natural healthy look. Use a a blush that resembles your natural color.  No bright reds, orange, or pinks. Keep it toned down!

Ipsy Glam Bag May 2015

Hey everyone! 

Just wanted to show you my Ipsy bag for the month of May. I know a lot of people know about Ipsy by now but are still on the fence about it. If you don't know what it is, it is a monthly beauty subscription bag. It cost only $10 and usually has about 4-5 deluxe sized makeup, skin care or hair product samples in it. Plus, who doesn't love cute travel bags!

I first want to say I definitely think this bag is worth it! I pay $10 and usually get $40+ worth of products. I know other subscription boxes that are around the same price range as Ipsy and commonly give foil packets as samples. The only foil packets I get with Ipsy is usually facial masks. Of course there have been some months that I wasn't too happy about but overall I have received a lot of good products in these bags. 

If you like to experiment with makeup and try new things I would definitely recommend this. However, I wouldn't really recommend this for beginners that are just starting to use makeup for the first time. You'll probably end up getting products you aren't interested in.

Now back to the July bag! I have to say I'm pretty impressed this month. I received 3 deluxe samples and 2 full sized products. 

First I got a Urban Decay lip pencil primer in the color Ozone. My sample was .03oz and a full size is .04oz for $20. This also came with two small sample lip glosses, I assume to try over the primer. 

Next I got a Luxie Tapered Blending(205) brush. I had never heard of this brand before Ipsy but I reviewed a Luxie large angled(504) brush in a previous Ipsy bag and I love it for applying a highlight. The blending brush is from the same line so I assume I'll love this one too. Besides, an extra blending brush never killed anybody! This retails for $12.99

I also got a gel eye liner pencil by Bellá Pierre Cosmetics in the color ebony. This eyeliner reminds me a of of the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil in black velvet. The Urban Decay has more of a velvety finish (hence the name) but they are still very similar. I have a picture below comparing the two so you can see for yourself. This product retails for 14.99!

Next we have a reparative leave in conditioner by Briogeo called Rosarco Milk. I haven't heard of this brand before but I was just thinking about buying a leave in conditioner the other day. So I'm definitely going to give this one a try and see how it goes. It says it is a mix of rosehip, argan, and coconut oil.

Last we have a matte finish moisturizer by Amie. Again another brand I haven't heard of but an definitely gong to give it a try. This claims to control oiliness & shine, and hydrates & softens. Which is all perfect for me since I have a pretty oily t-zone! 

Left: Urban Decay  |  Right: Bellá Pierre

If you're interested in Ipsy click here to sign up! Let me know if you have any questions and thanks for reading!

Morphe Jaclyn Hill Favorites Palette Review & Swatches

Hey Everyone!

So am I the only one that totally fangirled when Jaclyn Hill released her Morphe palette? Didn't think so! And if you don't know who she is. Do yourself a favor and YouTube her! You can thank me later. So after waiting months for it to come back into stock, I finally received this beautiful palette. I had been looking to purchase some Morphe eye shadows since they are said to be comparable to MAC shadows, for a quarter of the price. But when I went on the Morphe website they have so many shadows I didn't ever know where to start. So this palette was a great starter. It has many warm toned colors and pops of purple and pink, which are beautiful on my brown eyes. After testing most of these colors out I swatched them next to one of my MAC shadows and I must say they I'd have to agree the formula is comparable. These shadows are all super pigmented! The more shimmery shades are absolutely beautiful. I find they stand out more when you apply them with your finger rather than a brush. If you want them to stand out even more try spraying your brush with some fix+, eye drops, or any face setting spray (I used the NYX makeup setting spray) then applying they shadow. Below are the swatches I made. Unfortunately this palette is sold out, however you can still buy the individual shades from the Morphe website. I will insert a picture below of the shadow names.

Row 1 Shadow Swatches Below
Left: without flash | Right: with flash

Row 2 Shadow Swatches Below
Left: without flash | Right: with flash

Row 3 Shadow Swatches Below
Left: without flash | Right: with flash

Row 4 Shadow Swatches Below
Left: without flash | Right: with flash

Let me know which is your favorite shade in the comments!

Jaclyn Hill's Youtube Channel Link
Morphe Website Link

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream Review & Swatches

Hey everyone!

Now I know these have been out for quite some time now, but I am still obsessed! In this Florida heat I need a lightweight lip product! So these NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams are my go to for the spring/summer season. Not only are they great on the lips but they smell like buttercream icing. Yum!

Here are some of the claims and what I think about them:

Matte finish: At first it goes on like more of a satin finish, but after a little bit of time is does dry matte and does not transfer.

Highly pigmented: Typically the color you see is what you get. They do go on pigmented, so I only need one coat to get by desired color. Yay to using less product!

Creamy: Creamy is an understatement! They are called lip creams for a reason. These are so creamy that in fact sometimes my hand can slip a little and I get product outside of my lip line. Luckily they are also easy to remove.

Lightweight: One of my favorite thing about these are how lightweight they are. During these hot Florida days I want to wear minimal makeup when outdoors. These lip creams feel like you have nothing on. Sometimes I have to look in the mirror to make sure it's still there.

Moisturizing: I have pretty dry lips and I always use chapstick before I apply any lip product. Yet I still find that many lip products specially matte ones either settle into the cracks of my lips or look chalky. I am happy to say I don't have this problem with the Soft Matte Lip Creams. Immediately after applying you can rub your lips together and feel the smoothness similar to when you apply chapstick. They make my lips feel and look moisturized!

Cons: The only thing I can think of that could possibly be a con is it's longevity. Now don't get me wrong they do last a good amount of time for a lip product and don't transfer easily once dry. By transfer I mean is passes the kiss test. However, I do lick my lips a lot which is probably why this product doesn't last as long on me as others. Also it will usually rub off if I'm eating. It usually last about 2-3 hours before I have to reapply, as long as I'm not rubbing my lips together too much. Although by the 1 hour mark the color has typically faded a bit. Still visible though. How long do these usually last on you?

So as you can see... I love the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams. They definitely provide what they claim. So far I have 8 out of the total 22 shades. I have swatched these 8 on my arm. Let me know if there are any other specific colors you'd like to see so I can do a part 2!

    ^^^^^ Without flash ^^^^^

    ^^^^^ With flash ^^^^^

* The swatches are in the same order as the second image.

Istanbul: This is a baby pink color, very wearable pink because it is not too light. Even for fair skin!
Milan: This color is one shade darker than Istanbul. It is more of a true pink color.
Antwerp: You can't tell by the swatches above but this is a very pretty coral color.
Stockholm: For many this is a nude color.  This is not one of those nude pink colors it leans more towards a brown nude.
Cannes: This color is a mauve shade. Many actually compare it to the Kylie Jenner lip color.
Prague: This is one of my favorites! It is a bright purple pink shade, yet very wearable and a perfect color for summer.
Amsterdam: This is a true red color. It is a bright red, very Taylor Swift.
Transylvania: I believe this is the darkest shade in the collection. It is a vampy dark purple color. The only this I would say is that you might want to apply it with a lip brush or apply it with a lip pencil under because I found it was a little difficult to apply as is. It went on streaky so I had to wait for the first layer to dry and apply a second layer to get a more even application. Anyone else have the same issue?