Why Matte?

Oh...hello there. Thought I was gone forever, eh? Nope! I'm back with another post. People were actually asking me what happened with the whole blog thing. I felt like a slacker for blogging and not working on my own portfolio, so I had to get that done. Back to the fun!

This is about the wonders of matte lipstick. If you are new to lipstick, never worn it, or wear it all the time but haven't tried the matte look, let me tell you something. Meh, I'll show you.

 

I wore my new RiRi Woo to dinner with a friend this evening. I was home sick all day, wanted to feel pretty. Any who, the difference between the two photos above - the left was taken before, the right was taken after I stuff my face with an obscene amount of cheesy, beef brisket nachos.

Yup, I'm a fatty. I love food. All of it. Cooking it. Smelling it. Eating it. Rubbing my face in it. 

O_O

Matte lipstick does not budge! Any color you love, find it in a matte as well. I've got a matte alternative for every lip color mood I'm in so no one knows I just shoved my face into a bacon cheeseburger. It happens often...

Quick Natural Look (I Promise!)

Please excuse my absence...I lost my iPhone and with it my will to live. But I'm back now!
So let us proceed.

I will never understand how people do "natural" make-up looks with primer, concealer, foundation, powder, eye shadow, liners, blush, bronzer, lip color, lip gloss, eye lashes. 

Seriously? Stop it.

Here is a BASIC face of the day for when you wake up and say "you know what face? I'm going to let your natural radiance lead today" or "oh sh*t...is it 7:40??" The latter is more like my morning...

Here's what I'm working with:

Flawless Concealer in Toast | Black Opal

Dream Finish Beauty Balm | Maybelline New York

Cinnamon Blush | NYX

Lustre Finish Lipstick in Touch | MAC

I started with the concealer just a bit under my eyes. I was up working pretty late last night so they were looking (and still look) pretty rough this morning. I skipped the minor blemishes around my face...I just don't care today. I applied the BB cream all over with my finger tips. It rubs in like moisturizer and doesn't make a mess at all. I blushed my cheeks, colored my lips and that was it! Took 3 minutes. I would have been on time to work, but I got stuck in the car listening to Elle Varner.

Weekend Mani: Lucky Lucky Lavendar

I decided to go with a purple in honor of the Ravens playing today. I'm really a Redskins girl, but being from Maryland I feel obligated to go for the Maryland team. 

Go Ravens!

Lucky Lucky Lavendar | OPI

This time I took Pabvon's advice (see her comment on my last weekend mani) and did the following:

Base coat

Dry

Color

Wait about 10 minutes

Color again

Let it dry for an hour

Top Coat

In a few days I'll freshen up the top coat and hopefully this manicure will last all week!

January Favorites

Here's the stuff I've been attached to this month!

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream
I've been using this on my great skin days and when I go out. It has a light coverage of a foundation, but it gives me the dewy glow I've been looking for. I have dry skin, so it works well for me and lasts long. I wouldn't recommend this if you have oily skin, since it does stay kind of dewy-looking. You may look a bit too oily. I'll have to find a replacement once the summer comes around.

Benefit "They're Real" Mascara
I posted this on instagram a few weeks ago for all the mascara obsessed. This stuff is crack. I only wear it when I'm going out because it really makes my eyelashes so dramatic that it's not appropriate for the workplace.

Mac "Taupe" Matte Lipstick
You saw this already in Coloring My Smoochers, but I had to add it here again. I wear this everyday...as you can tell. I'm running low.

EOS Lip Balm
Move over Burt's Bees! This stuff is super moisturizing. I don't have to reapply as often as I do with other lip balms...but I do anyway out of habit. My lips are so soft!

Burt's Bees Hand Salve
I keep this on me at all times. I absolute hate dry hands! And it smells like Christmas, which is just delightful.

Archie's Girls

Coming soon!
I'll be making my appointment at my favorite MAC counter to check out the new collection.

Weekend Mani: Bulter Please by Essie

I'll be attending a few parties this extended weekend, so I decided to go with something festive and bright. This one is new to my collection {which is quite vast} and may be a new fave.

I've been trying to figure out the perfect manicure formula. This time I did:

Strengthening basecoat

Color

Color

Topcoat

Topcoat

Watch Scandal and don't move while they dry

This was last night and my nails haven't chipped yet. Hopefully this works out and my nails last all weekend. We shall see.

Happy Friday!

*UPDATE*
My nails lasted a day and a half.
sigh.

Instant Gratificiation: Face Mask Review

I have been paying a lot more attention to the condition my skin is in. I finally got my face cleared up {dark spots and all} so now I only have to focus on keeping it smooth and moisturized. This winter has been particularly harsh on this one stubborn dry spot right in the middle of my forehead.

So, I thought I'd try a face mask for some extra umph. My first instinct is always Lush when it comes to solving skin problems. Their shaving cream {plus the new 5-blade Venus razor} gave me the smoothest shave ever and their soaps are absolutely delicious. So I searched through their options and found Oatifix.

This yummy face mask is made with oatmeal, bananas, vanilla, almonds, and illipe butter. I had never heard of that last one, but after some deep research {read: googling} I found out it's pretty much the Southeast Asian version of Cocoa Butter. We know our brown skin loves cocoa butter!

Check out their video on how it's made!

Process: I applied it last night before bed. My face smelled like a delicious and healthy breakfast for about 10 minutes while I let it sink in. Then, I rinsed. I sealed in the moisture with almond oil, which is the only oil I'm comfortable using on my acne prone skin. It's very light and doesn't clog my pores at all.

Results: The following day {today} my skin looks and feels amazing. I actually started to put on foundation, and then changed my mind. My forehead spot only needed a little almond oil instead of several layers of a thicker shea butter based cream. I'm all for instant gratification, and it doesn't get better than overnight results! I do wonder what would happen if I open up my pores a bit first with a warm towel, so I'll try that next time. I'm going to keep using this twice a week so it can continue to do wonderful things to my face. I'm hoping my dry spots will be a non-factor in a few weeks.