easy seXXXy smooth lips

 

 

Are your lips often chapped, dry, and look cracky when you apply lipstick? Do you often forgo an amazing red lip because you believe you can't pull it off? Girl let me help you.

 

what you need

Skinny Girl Lip Scrub

or any lip scrub

or make your own lipscrub

 

what you need to do

Wash your face, making sure to get your lips hot, wet, and steamy.

 

Dry off your lips, and apply your lip scrub. I usually just apply and rub the exfoliant with my finger, rather than treating it like a chapstick. Scrub your lips for 1-2 minutes. When you're done, wipe off all product with a warm paper towel. Apply a moisurtizing balm to your lips - I like eos or Carmex. Wah-la! You are ready for sexy lipstick.

 

Best to start with a lip liner, and then follow up with classic hollywood red lipstick. They make every girl look like a million bucks, so there's no reason you shouldn't do it!

have fun.   :)

 



I'm wearing Jordana red lip liner and Maybelline lipstick 625 in ARE YOU RED-DY
Revlon nail polish in Ruby Lounge

Moree on Skinny Girl...

Skinny Girl lip scrub was released in 2011, back when Real Housewife Bethany Frankel still owned Skinny Girl. When the brand was under Frankel, Skinny Girl had just a few beverages and all types of interesting makeup products, like body shimmer, facial masks, and lip scrub. Now the line is focusing more on cocktails and adult beverages. I hope they keep the beauty stash around - I really like the body shimmer too!

Brush Week: Quick and Easy Everyday Makeup

Perfect makeup when you don't feel like makeup

I wouldn't be honest during BRUSH WEEK if I said you always need to use a brush. This look requires NO brush, and it makes you look like you took way longer to get ready than you actually did. So put the brushes away, and learn this gorgeous but subtle look. 

I realize that when you think of subtle, you probably don't think Lady Gaga. But hear me out - Gaga wore a makeup look two years ago (while on her Monster Ball tour) that I copy every time I sleep in a little too late. I should totally do a video tutorial of this... I promise I will when I get a camera. 

get the look.

part one: eyes and lips
The overall concept of this look is heavy top lip liner and a bold/bright lip color. No need to go crazy with blush or bronzer. Any eyeliner works (gel, liquid, pencil.) Just make the line thicker than you normally do. Don't do a cat eye -  it looks really weird in my opinion.  For the lip, make sure you a color that is a bit bolder than light pink. Think barbie pink, coral, or red lipstick. A  tinted balm is even better; Maybelline Whisper is a good option because it looks like a lipstick but feels like a moisturizer. Perfect for those rushed mornings. :)

part two: face
The other part to this look is a good foundation or BB cream. You can apply your foundation/ BB cream with a blending sponge to make the look even more flawless - thus making it look even less like you're in a hurry. The best part - it takes half the time a brush would. (We're in a time crunch, remember?)  Here's the expensive beauty blender that everyone's talking about, and here's the $4 one of Walgreens that works just as good. To use a beauty blender properly, start by running it under warm water, and then squeeze all the excess out. Use the beauty blender to pat and smooth your foundation onto your face - it's amazing. Try this look next time you're in a rush - I want to know if you like it!

As always, post pictures if you try.

steal my lashes

they're real.

If there's one thing I get complimented on, it's my lashes! I attribute it completely to mascara application. Keep reading to see how you can steal my lashes.

line your lashline.
Even if it's just a thin line, make sure to line your upper lash line. This will make the base of your lashes look thicker and instantly fuller. 

layer your mascara.
Most important step. The trick is not just adding layers of mascara, but add layers of different types of mascara. My tactic: start by adding 2 coats of a mascara that lengthen your lashes without clumping. This provides a nice clean base to build from. While your lashes are still wet, layer your favorite volumizing mascara. Continue adding coats of the volumizing mascara until you find your desired effect. On days that I want really dramatic long lashes, I add another coat of a super black volumizing mascara. In all, I can apply about 10 - 15 coats, easy. The key is finding mascara formulas you like working with. A bad formula will make this look turn sour quickly. This routine may seem extreme at first, but once you see you lashes, you might never look back!

get in there.
If you want huge lashes, you've got to get up in a mirror and coat  e v e r y--s i n g l e--l a s h. Experiment with the way you hold the mascara wand, they way you coat your lashes, ect. I can easily spend up to 10 minutes(yikes!) on my lashes, so adjust this routine however you'd like. Who wants to see a video tutorial??


*I've linked my current mascara routine products. My routine changes monthly because I love trying new products. Maybe I'll post about my all time favorite mascaras!

Designer VS Drugstore

It’s easy to feel like you have to use designer brands to do a quality job, but ‘you get what you pay for’ doesn’t always apply in the makeup world. To this day, I still opt for many drugstore options because they perform the same as designer labels (if not better,) and you save a ton of money in the process. In the past week, I’ve worked with two professional makeup artists who agree that many high end products aren't worth shelling out the extra dough when given the option. 

Mascara: Go Drugstore

Drugstore brands tend to have tons of options for the exact effect you’re looking for (volume, length, shape) and IMO work much better than designer brands. The product lasts you a long time, and they exceed my expectations every time. For long and voluminous lashes you have to mix products anyway, so mascara price stays manageable when you go drugstore. So many drugstore mascara brands are kicking ass right now with their products, packaging, and marketing – it’s an amazing time for consumers right now!

Higher end products have the tendency to irritate your eyes, clump up your lashes, and dry out extremely fast. A designer mascara can easily run you anywhere from $20 - $50. For me, drugstore mascara is a no brainer.

Foundation: Go Pro

A wise woman builds her house upon a rock, right? Foundation is your rock: sturdy, reliable, & trusted. If you build your house upon the sand, aka cheap foundation, you may find yourself disappointed with the color match, coverage, skin reaction to the formula, and worst of all, you may have wasted your money because now you have a product you really can’t use. Oh and there’s the possibility doesn’t actually covering your blemishes, but just looking slapped on. Not cute!

Now hear me out - this is not to say that you have to spend a fortune on foundation. But you should definitely go to a store where you can sample the foundation, color match, test your skins reaction, and wear it for a day before purchasing. Places like Ulta, Sephora, and most department stores will even give you a free three day supply of foundation to test for a few days. AND they can help you pick which foundation will work best with your skin type. When you pick a random drugstore brand, you may end up disappointed with the color match, breaking out from the formula, and worst of all, you may have wasted your money because now you have a product you really can’t use. You can get away with just $20 for a good foundation. My favorite foundation (MAC Studio Scuplt in NW20) runs me $43.

I will say that lately, drugstore brands have stepped up their game in the foundation department. Maybelline FitMe and Loreal TrueMatch are helping consumers save money without losing too much quality. So tell me – have you found an amazing drugstore foundation?

Lipstick: It Depends

Lipstick is like shampoo. We’d all love to always use the super expensive shampoos, but most of us know deep down that a bottle of Herbal Essence will do the trick. Lipstick’s kinda the same way. I love my drugstore lipsticks almost as much as I love my MACs. Revlon lipsticks are always extremely impressive. I’m not a fan of Maybelline lipsticks because they are usually all shine and very little pigment.