DIY Brow Pomade

Brows got EXTREMELY popular these last few years. Ppl realized how important a good set of brows was to, not only a great makeup look, but to your face in general. Anyhoo... Everyone was looking for ther perfect brow products. Some people weren't just ready to accept that pencils were the only option. So on came waxy pencils made specifically for brows, brow powders, gels and pomades. I was actually not sold on the idea that my method of alternating between a pencil and a dark brown shadow was inadequate. I mean... it looked great in the end. And paying tens of dollars on a pomade that i heard was prone to drying out, just because it was trending just wasn't on my list of things to do.... but... wait.. i could just make my own right? Ppl are doing that? Youtubing and Pinteresting my life away allowed me to discover that i could totally make my own brow product and for a fraction of the cost of those other big named products... but will it work? Hmmm....

Some people were using actual hair pomade and hair sprays and eyeshadow to create their brow products but... i don't use pomade and i was really trying to avoid buying something that i don't really need to have sitting on the shelf in my bathroom. So, i grabbed my Murray's Beeswax

....and scooped a bit of it into an empty gel eye liner pot til the little pot was just over half full. Then, after one of my many adventures down the Walgreen's cosmetic isle, i used the dark brown definer shade at the center of my Wet N Wild "The Naked Truth" pallette for color. 

I scraped the shadow into the gel liner pot with the beeswax and used a cuticle pusher (because it's small) to break the shadow down and mix the products together. In hindsight, it probably would have been a million times easier to mix the two on a flat surface or in a larger container and then tranferring it to the gel liner pot. Anyway, it'll take something like equal parts to get the right amount of pigmentation for you brow product, but once you get it to the right color, it works like magic!

And there you have it! Brow "pomade" made super cheap and easy with beeswax and eyeshadow! It works great, it doesn't dry out and best of all, when u run out, you can just whip up some more! BOOM!

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Wet N Wild is LIFE!- Lipstick Gold

I've posted quite a few times about looks i created using Wet N Wild products. Their eyeshadows are AMAZING. They're super pigmented, some are dupes for high end brands, i can find any color my makeup loving heart desires and let's not forget that they're extra affordable! At no more than $6 per palette at walgreens, walmart, target, cvs, rite aid, and that's just the stores i've been to.... you really can't lose with Wet N Wild.

I found myself bypassing all other brands and heading straight to the Wet N Wild 5' section when doing my mandatory stroll of the cosmetics section of any store i'm in. I now will swear by the gel liner pot, the fergie collection eye primer and the color icon liners. But there is one product that stands out like a bedazzled fanny pack... the Mega Last Lipstick collection!

Listen, lipstick is kind of a big deal for me. Like... it sets the mood... it finishes your face..  brows, lashes and lipstick are my staples... and these lipsticks are like GOLD! There's a wide range of colors from nudes, to pinks, to purples to reds and even a couple of orange shades. They finish matte when blotted (which is a must), they last for forever, they're very pigmented so fading is almost unheard of (esp with the deeper colors), they come in some fairly sleek little tubes and... They cost no more than $2!!!! Not a joke. The highest i've seen them priced is $1.99 ! Insane right?! Right! I didn't even realize how obsessed with this lipstick that i was until i organized my makeup case and realized that i had somewhere between 15 and 20. I shop them and find that i already own most of the shades and then when i grab one that i think won't be anything special, it blows me away! (That's actually happened twice now). But yea, it's an amazing product, extra low cost and soooo my fav product by a company that i frequently refer to as "life". Just in case you're still not convinced that you should report to your nearest drugstore and grab alllll of these lipsticks, here are some pics of some of my faves....

"Don't Blink Pink"

"Stoplight Red"

"Bare It All" (over a dark brown liner)

"Vamp It Up"

"Think Pink"

"Sugar Plum Fairy"

"Mochalicious"

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Growing...Out

I've gone through a MAJOR journey of getting to be blonde...then red...then back to blonde. And although i LOVE my hair color, it's time to let it grow out. Here's the thing, lightening my hair has, of course, caused breakage. I cared for my hair and conditioned, moisturized, protein treated it as often as possible...rarely wore it straight and did things like braid outs

 ....and flat twist-outs

 to style it. But all of this just made for a life of maintaining length. My hair was still breaking, it was just breaking at a rate that was only slightly slower than my hair was growing. And let me tell you, my hair had been GROWING! Had i stopped the madness a while ago, i'd have much longer hair and i may even be able to wear it straight or styled without feeling like it was going to fall out.
I know that my obsession with blonde hair seemed to always outweigh any desire to grow my hair out, but recently i just got a bit fed up with how my hair was looking. I started wearing my hair in what i call, Old Lady Braids, in order to save myself from excessive shedding and broken strands while i was out and about.

Notice that, while my face is snatched, my hair looks like a tribute to rosa parks.

It's really hard to feel glam when your hair is styled to be tied down before you go to bed.

Anyhoo, i've noticed that wearing weaves with closures and wigs has become more and more popular... and not just with older ladies like it used to be. I had a makeup client who had started having wigs made and had gotten addicted. She never wore her real hair out anymore and what was so awesome about that was that her hair had grown to be suuuuper long because she was letting it rest.
So... i could keep my old lady braids, let my hair have some break time without breaking AND be cute?! SOLD!... but still nervous about looking... wiggy. You know?
I have an aunt who wears wigs and she had left one at my house so i took that as my chance to just see what it was like...

It's a little rough because i wasn't wearing makeup, i didn't wash the wig because i was just trying it on and... the bangs aren't the best. But i REALLY liked where this look could go.
So i washed it and cut the bangs to better suit my comfort and...

I pretty much fell in love with it! I even wore it out and about! That's pretty major.
after getting comfortable with this wig, i set out to find another. And i hit the jackpot!

I mean.... is it not PERFECT?! So this is the reason that i have made the tough decision to stop dying my hair and grow it out! If i want a change in hair color, i'll just get a wig! Lol! And while wearing these fabulous wigs and feeling great, i'll be able to do absolutely nothing with my real hair and let it rest and grow... hopefully it'll be a short journey to having long hair of my own again.
Here's what it looks like now...

I can't wait to see it get longer.... but i must admit, i'm gonna miss my blonde waves.

Update: ok, this is now, June 9th 2015... i've actually got a little curl action going...

Brow Game....Not So Strong...

I've been doing makeup, both on myself and on various clients for a while now, and i've come a looong way. I started out trying to perfect the application of eye makeup because, for me, the eyes are the first thing a person sees on your face. From there I got pretty serious about brows and felt like I had a good handle on them when I turned my attention to the face. Highlighting and contouring, finding the right color blush, blending, priming, smooth foundation... those things were a bit of a struggle for me. One major factor that I had to learn to ALWAYS account for was lighting. I would do what seemed to be a flawless makeup application and the snap a picture and realize that, with a flash, the whole face looked like I hadn't even tried to blend it. So ghat's always on my mind. I tend to use natural light more than anything. I'm find the best window in the location and have my client facing it...even of it means setting my stuff up kn the floor. Now that i've gotten to the point where I feel very comfortable applying every aspect of a full face of makeup, I spend a lot of time researching better (yet still affordable) products, new techniques, and sovon... but I had an experience recently that drew to my attention that, while I can define some fairly freshly shaped brows just fine, the ladies who come to me in need of a wax but not wanting to have me tweeze their brows gave me a bit of trouble. You see, I tend to follow what the brow is naturally doing (or has been shaped to do). It your brows are waxed slightly uneven, there's only so much I can do to fix that. If your brows grow in a little...crazy, I have the worst time getting them to look sleek. I realized this yesterday. I did a young lady's makeup and she had...some..things going with her brows. They were unevenly shaped, growing in a bit sporadically, and when I was done, something just seemed...not quite right about them. I was a bit disappointes in myself for this, and I actaually didn't take pictures of her makeup and told her to send me some when she had a chance. When I received the pictures, I noticed that, DUN DUN DUUUUUNNNN.. She had fixed her brows, making them a little thicker to hide the not-so-neat way they were growing in. Aw man! Well, to be fair, she is a makeup artist herself, so I felt pretty good that the brows were the only thing she felt the need to change. But it made me realize that I totally need to work on my brow game. Challenge Accepted!

Just Wanting to Get Better

So, I feel like I have a pretty good handle on eyes and brows. I know a lot of different twchniques, and I found what works for me but can still switch it up if a client requests something that's best done a different way. But I am constantly on YouTube watching different "gurus" (and some not so well known youtube artists) perform their preferred highlighting and contouring routines.  Highlighting and contouring is probably my favorite part of makeup application, although it has always been my least strong point. Whether it be finding the perfect tool and technique to apply the highlight or finding the right products to use, i'm always trying to get better at it. Practice makes perfect, of course, and I really do try to practice on myself as much as possible, but I am a beauty on a budget so switching up the products is not always ideal. For the past year and a half i've been using the Coastal Scents Camouflage Palette for my highlighting needs. Mixing the colors to match clients needs and trying different ways to get the best application. It has worked...fine. I used to adore this palette but I believe that i've grown out of it. It has started to crease on me and, although it works great for my clients, I need to move on. My first move was to take some advice and start setting it with a powder to avoid creasing... works ok. I'm not totally in awe of it, but it is a bit better.
What's been trending for quite some time and is majorly affordable at around $2/$3 per tube is LA Girl Cosmetics Pro Concealer.  The only issue i'm having is... I CAN'T FLIPPIN FIND IT IN STORES! Yes, I can buy online, but I am the type of shopper (esp cosmetics) that needs to see colors in real life. I would hate to buy a hand full of these babies and then realize I have no use for any number of them...ain't nobody got time fuh dat! The other day, I walk into my local beauty supply for some hair and SCORE! LA Girl Pro Concealers front and center!.... inshades my skin tone and darker. Whomp whomp. I don't contour with concealer, I prefer powder. It's much easier to blend for me. So, still on the hunt for this concealer.
What I will say is that I am so very happy that I am a visual learner and that I can take a lot from what I see from youtube, instagram and makeup artists personal websites as well as trial and error on my own face. I've gotten soooo much better and have soooo much more of an understanding of why different techniques and products work on different skin tones and types. Just because i'm not in a formal school, doesn't mean that I shouldn't try to learn what I can from those willing to share and better myself with some experimentation of my own. So... next step is finding some cosmetology text books for cheap and gaining more knowledge and, of course, finding those damn concealers!
Just thought i'd share with you my current state of mind. I haven't stopped doing makeup and I haven't stopped beating my own mug..i've just been preoccupied.

Fall Shmall!

I know fall is supposed to be all about the neutral shadows, the deeper colored lipsticks and  revolving our whole cosmetic lives around orange, brown, burgundy, copper, gold and red.... but...while I LOVE those colors and how they go with the feeling of fall weather, I can't always stick with one color palette.
So yesterday I just wanted some color in my life. Nothing too wild...just not neutral, by far. I went rifling through my makeup and pulled out a palette that I had only used maybe once and just kinda forgot about. It's the "Poster Child" palette from Wet N Wild.

I bought this palette for 2 reasons, 1) i'm a sucker for bright colors. And 2) i had two other, less vibrant, palettes from Wet N Wild and they were very pigmented.  

For the look I was going for, the blue in the bottom righ corner was calling my name! 

This is the end result...

Let's start from the top. I always begin my makeup routine with my brows. I've recently been filling in/defining my brows using a brown eye shadow (also from wet n wild) and an angled liner brush. To make the applications easy and get a smooth line with no chalkiness, i dip the brush into my face moisturizer, wipe off the excess and then coat the brush with the shadow. After totally defining my brows, i use a spooly brush to brush the color through the hair...this makes it so you can actually see the hairs. Next up is concealer. If i plan on highlighting and contouring my face, i use a concealer that's about 2 shades lighter than my skin. I use a small concealer brush to apply the concealer along the bottom and top lines of my brows and then use my ring finger to blend/fade it outward. 

For my brow bone, i used Mary Kay Mineral Eye Color in Spun Silk. It's a light enough shade on my skintone to highlight my brow bone, but it's matte, so when i go in with all the vibrant colors, it keeps me from looking.. drag-ish. Next, in between the crease of my lid and   blended up into the Spun Silk, i applied Mary Kay Mineral Eye Color in Silky Caramel. Again, it's matte and it's a great color to blend with the lighter shade on my browbone as well at the darker shade to be used in my crease and on my lid. Next up, that amazing dark blue. I used a short-haired shadow brush to pat the color onto my entire lid. I like to pat on the color i use on my lid because it makes is easier to build the opacity of the color, although this shadow is pigmented enough to not need much effot to build. After i got the blue all over my lid, i took a blender brush and applied the darker pink from the left side (second color from the bottom) in a sweeping motion along my crease. Next i grabbed my BH Cosmetics Party Girl Palette and used the shimmery black shade on a narrow brush in the crease of my lid. Then i used the blender brush that had the pink shadow on it and blended the black upward into the pink. Then i grabbed a flat shadow brush and  applied the teal color on the right side of the Poster Child palette (second from the top) to the inner corner of my lid. I used Wet N Wild cream liner in a pot and a liner brush from E.L.F. to apply my winged liner, threw on my stacked lashes that i've been wearing allll the way out, and moved on to my face. (After i apply my face makeup, i lined my lower lashline with a brown pencil and took an angled liner brush and swept the dark blue shadow over it. Applied black liner to my waterline and mascara to both my top and bottom lashes.)

Face Time!

I used Maybelline Baby Skin to prime my face... i go back and forth on whether or not i like this primer. Why? Because, altho it does fill in pores and smooth my skin very well, i have oily skin and this primer can feel a litte heavy..greasy even. But, a little goes a long way for those who have oily skin and setting with a powder becomes very important when using this primer. After letting the primer set for a good 5 minutes, i used a dupe for the Beauty Blender sponge to apply my foundation, which is Mary Kay TimeWise Matte Wear Liquid Foundation in Bronze 4. I apply foundation all over my face, but i avoid the areas directly below my eyes and directly above my brows..because i'm going to use a concealer to highligt in those areas and i don't like how heavy it can get in those areas. Using a concealer brush, i applied the same concealer i used for my brows in the areas that you see 

Here. To blend the concealer, though, i used the tapered end of my blender sponge and a patting motion. To set the concealer under my eyes to avoid creasing, i used the same patting motion and tapered end of my blender to apply E.L.F HD Translucent Setting Powder. Then i used a soft powder brush to sweep the excess powder away. For contouring my face, i used a pressed powder from Black Opal in Deepest Espresso. I swept the powder in a downward motion along the bottom of my cheekbone (starting at the outer point of my cheekbone and stopping a little more than halfway down..like, straight down from the outter corner of my eye) with an angled powder brush, then i blend upward...but not too much..just so there's no stark line of darkness. I like to use a blending shadow brush to apply my contour to the sides of my nose and then blend it by sweeping an empty small stipling brush up and down the area where i applied the color. I used a highlighting stick from E.L.F. in Persimmon to coat the larger area of my blender sponge, blotted it onto my hand, and then used a patting motion to apply it to the tops of my cheekbones and along the bridge of my nose. I applied a loose powder bronzer with a soft powder brush to the area i contoured my cheeks and blend upward. For blush, i used Mary Kay Mineral Cheek Color in Dark Cherry on the apples of my cheeks. And that was that!

Lips!

I lined my lips with a brown brow pencil, applied Wet N Wild lipstick in Think Pink to the inner area of my lips and blended to two colors together, then i applied Wet N Wild's Bare It All to my lips and used my finger to blend the three. Being darker skinned, it's hard to rock a nude lip color or a pink as light at Think Pink without some liner and blending. Lol!

And it's all done! 

These full-face photos were taken using natural light and no flash at around 6pm. It wasn't long before i had no natural light to work with at all. So, even though and horrible yellow-toned light in the bathroom can totally ruin the ability to see the colors used, with the right angle, they can make for a pretty fierce selfie...

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New Obsessions Reviving Old Habits

Basically, I have a love for makeup that will never die. But I also love sleep, mom time, snacking on various foods and desserts, blogging, browsing social media, writing and getting household things done. So... how do I fit a full face of makeup into that? Well, the truth is, I used to prioritize makeup into my day and slowly but surely allowed it to be phased out... mainly by laziness. Before I even get started, i'd give myself 50 reasons why I don't have the time or energy to snatch my face. I think all busy women are guilty of this at least sometimes.. probably not as often as me though.
Well, I saw a few folks post that they were super into this new app called Makeup Social, and how it was this magical place where makeup lovers both artists and not, could share looks, product reviews, get makeup advise, etc. OF COURSE I need to be there! I went to my google store and searched...and searched... and searched... but nothing."Wait... nothing? Oh, I see. Only available for iphone. So i'm being punished for having an old ass galaxy s3 with a cracked screen that I got as an upgrade last year because i'm cheap and wanted to not pay for a new phone? So the ppl at makeup social are targeting me because i'm cheap?! I see how it is! I don't even want that app!"...was my response.
So, I searched more and found that they have an actual website that you can log onto www.themakeupsocial.com so I signed up there. The website isn't the easiest to navigate through. I get emails alerting me of comments on my posts but no alert for when someone mentions or tags me. I can't simply search for a person or even get a look at my profile as others see it without going through some extra steps. And I can't post photos of my previous looks or work. If I go to upload a photo, the only option I have is to take a photo right then and there to post. These things made me not like the website as much as I knew I could and it made me wish upon a star that they'd hurry the hell up with the android version of the app... But I, somehow, have still managed to slowly become OBSESSED with this site! This network of MUA's both freelance, like myself and MUA's that work at counters and makeup stores... girls who have jobs outside of the beauty industry but love makeup.. people who were just as cheap as me and shopped the non-high-end brands and made magic happen with them as well as the girls who can't live without their MAC. People who are just starting out in getting makeup right and people who have been doing this for years. It's amazing.
This site seriously revived my want for putting on a full face even when I have nowhere to go... mainly because of the fact that I can only post pictures of makeup that's happening right then and there, but also because these are the people who appreciate a good beat down. Lol! So, instead of product details, i'll just post some pics here of makeup that only got done so I could post a decent selfie on Makeup Social. And if there's any looks you'd like info on, comment below which one (s) and i'll do a separate post for them.

What a difference some photo restrictions can make, right? Lol! 

Again, if any of these tickle your fancy, feel free to make a request in the comments and i'll break down the deets. 

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