Category: ASK LEE

Beauty Q&A: Should I Sanitize My Makeup?

Published on by Lee1 Comment

OK, so you’ve probably cleaned and sanitized every square inch of your living space lately in an effort to keep your home germ free, but have you thought about your makeup products? We’ve all read about how important it is to clean makeup brushes and sponges on a regular basis, but your eyeliner pencils, powder compacts and palettes need love, too. Ahead, we chatted with makeup artist Frankie Padron about the best methods for sanitizing your products and how to do so at home.

Why Sanitize Your Makeup Products?

There are plenty of reasons why you should sanitize your makeup products in addition to your brushes, says Padron. For one, if you are sharing products in your collection with others, you want to make sure they’re clean. “I sanitize after every person because I’m using makeup on different people daily,” she says. Another reason to sanitize your products is if you’re prone to acne and breakouts. “If you have a breakout, I recommend cleaning your tools after every use so you avoid spreading bacteria.” 

How to Sanitize Makeup Products

According to Padron, a cosmetic sanitizer mist is a must-have for cleaning your makeup powder and cream products like eyeshadows and face palettes. She recommends using the Beauty So Clean Cosmetic Sanitizer Mist which comes in a no-mess spray bottle that can be distributed on any product.

“I would avoid using any products that have a high concentration of alcohol in them, as this may dry out your makeup.Frankie Padron, MUA

As far as pencil products are concerned, Padron takes a slightly different approach. “For eyeliner and lip pencils, I sharpen them before it touches anyone, making sure I shaved off the area I used on someone previously,” she says. This works the same for any lip liners or eyeliners you use on yourself if you feel like you need a fresh tip before application. 

For brushes that need a quick clean during application, try the NYX Professional Makeup On the Spot Makeup Brush Cleaner Spray. The formula keeps bristles soft and is perfect for when you don’t have time to do a full-on brush wash. 

What to Avoid When Sanitizing Your Makeup

Padron notes that when picking your makeup sanitizing products, make sure to read the label. “I would avoid using any products that have a high concentration of alcohol in them, as this may dry out your makeup.” While brushes and sponges have a reputation for holding and spreading bacteria, it is important to give your powders, palettes and creams a little cleaning, too.

READ MORE:

Yoga skin: new glowing makeup trend everyone is crazy about

Published on by LeeLeave a comment

We all know true beauty comes from within, but when we want to enhance it from outside there is no better way than with beautiful healthy skin. As a matter of fact, a good (and consistent!) skincare routine is a key for radiant and youthful looking skin, not only to boost your confidence but to keep you healthy too. After all, skin is the human body’s largest organ.

I’ve heard people sing the praises of mixing face oil with their foundation for the ultimate dewy, radiant complexion, over and over again. Thankfully, the power of makeup is so strong and amazing, even when our skin isn’t, so you can get this instant glow right away. How? Keep reading, you will love this one.

WHAT IS YOGA SKIN?

Women across social media have been spotted wearing beautiful natural looks enhanced by a very cool highlighting technique. It’s all about luminous and youthful radiance that looks natural, flawless and healthy. Basically, your “no makeup look” with an extra glow.

When skin is at its healthiest, it has a sort of glow that radiates through a room. However, it’s not always realistic to have perfectly healthy skin all the time—between work, travel, and having a social life, sometimes our skin just doesn’t glow from the inside out as much as we’d like it to. Whenever this happens, there’s always makeup to save the day! And that’s exactly why yoga skin has taken off as a trend. All about getting a glowing, dewy complexion with makeup, yoga skin is reminiscent of the recent glass skin trend. The main difference being, yoga skin focuses on achieving a more natural look. Whereas the goal of glass skin is to get a picture-perfect, flawless-looking complexion, yoga skin is inspired by the pretty flush and glisten skin has after a particularly good yoga class.

So what is yoga skin? The glowing makeup trend started with Sara Hill, UK makeup artist who created Instagram hashtag #yogaskin as it reminded her of a fresh and gorgeous radiant skin women have when stepping out of the yoga studio; juicy, dewy and super-hydrated. It’s not about hiding imperfections but creating a hyper-real version of your natural skin, pinchable and just irresistible!”

How to get yoga skin

Don’t worry you don’t actually have to do yoga (unless you want to).

To get the look, start by applying your regular skincare as normal, and leave it for at least five minutes to settle into your skin.

Apply a layer of primer, and then it’s time to get to mixing! Number one rule: hydration. Hydrated skin is what essentially makes glowing makeup trend so, well, glowing. What I love about this look is that it’s completely customizable to your needs, preferences and skin type.

The Best Way to Mix Your Foundation With Face Oil

There are two ways to go about mixing your foundation and facial oil. You can either add a couple of drops into your foundation, or you can apply the oil directly onto your skin as a foundation primer. 

For the latter method, you may not want to cover your entire face with oil before foundation application. “If I’m applying directly onto the skin as a primer, I stick to the high points of the face like on the tops of the cheeks, not on the areas of the face that produce oil on their own, like in the T-zone.” This will keep the makeup looking more lit-from-within and less greasy. 

Even those with oily skin shouldn’t be discouraged from giving this makeup hack a try. If you are prone to oiliness and shine, you can use a small amount of powder to set your foundation in place. I like to apply powder very sparingly with a damp sponge instead of a brush because powder can build up very quickly on top of oil and end up looking cakey.” The damp sponge helps keep the powder looking smooth and gives your complexion an overall more hydrated appearance.

Sara Hills Primp Tip: mix liquid foundations with a drop of facial oil and few drops of liquid highlighter. You can also add glow drops. Finally, massage into the skin. Optional, if needed, add a small amount of concealer to cover up any spots or puffiness under the eyes. Use an alcohol-free setting spray to add extra hydration.

Choose Your Tool to Apply Your Face Oil and Foundation Combination

It’s all about personal preference when it comes to your application tool for face oil and foundation. I prefer a combination of a brush and a makeup sponge to get the job done. “Because oil thins out your foundation, I prefer to apply first with fingers or a brush and then use a damp sponge to tap it into place and soften any streaks.”

Why Mix Face Oil With Your Foundation?

Aside from helping you achieve a dewy-looking complexion (and who doesn’t want that?!), blending together a face oil and foundation can help you customize your coverage. “Mixing oil into your foundation can thin out full coverage, make a matte foundation look a little more luminous and can make your application glide and buff more easily. Plus it can add needed hydration to skin that’s dry. 

Foundation Recommendations:  

Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra 24H Long Wear Foundation, Urban Decay Stay Naked Weightless Foundation and YSL Beauty All Hours Longwear Natural Matte Foundation

Face Oil Recommendations:

Lancôme Bienfait Multi-Vital Daily Replenishing Oil, Youth to the People Superberry Hydrate + Glow Oil and Kiehl’s Daily Reviving Face Oil

BEAUTY Q&A: WHAT IS BROW LAMINATION?

Published on by Lee2 Comments

If you rewind to 2018, the world was obsessed with perfectly sculpted, HD brows. Two years later, that trend has officially died (RIP) and in its place is the boy brow. It’s equally bold yet more natural, fluffy, and (looks) untouched – we’re low key obsessed.

The bad news? Not everyone is #blessed with naturally thick, fluffy brows. The good news? You can fake it with brow lamination; a semi-permanent brow treatment that straightens, sets, and tints your brow hair leaving you with full, thick brows for up to eight weeks. Brow lamination, as it’s called, is like a perm for your eyebrow hairs.

Originating in Russia, but blowing up in England and US, brow lamination tames unruly hairs and sets them in place for a fluffy just-combed look. Brow lamination is essentially a perm for your eyebrows, but without using the same harsh chemicals. It’s a keratin treatment that not only stimulates growth while strengthening the brow hairs, but creates thick, fluffy, and full brows.

Lamination is a good alternative to microblading because it works with your existing hair, giving you your ideal brow look without the use of needles, ink insertion into the body, and pain.

Here’s everything you need to know:

What Is Brow Lamination? 

According to Instagram, brow lamination is a chemical process that straightens the eyebrow. It’s very similar to a lash lift, but what it does is straighten the brow in a vertical and swept way that lasts for five to eight weeks.

Brow lamination is the latest brow treatment to blow up on Instagram and the results really do look amazing. The treatment reworks and tints your natural brow hairs to create a fuller shape. This treatment will help give you a uniform, full brow shape. This treatment is perfect for “Eyebrows that do not have symmetry: where the hairs follow a different pattern.”

Lamination is different than micro-feathering, for example, because it’s about texture, not color. “Most brow treatments are meant to fill in the brows and add darkness and pigment and can mimic the look of the hair.” Lamination, on the other hand, is a perm for the brow hairs.

To achieve this naturally full effect, brows are brushed into place in a way where every hair follows the same direction of growth. Then brush into a shape to create a very soft, natural arch. Brow Lamination is for nearly all skin types; however, a patch test is always carried out before the treatment to ensure no irritation or reaction occurs.

The Brow Lamination Process

The entire lamination process is 30 minutes from start to finish. “A chemical solution is applied to the brow that breaks down the bonds in the hair to straighten it. After that, a neutralizer is applied to reform the bonds to create the new shape. Then, a post-treatment oil is applied to nourish the hair. This process should be done before brow tinting and before brow shaping. 

Once the treatment is complete, brows will look very sleek with a wet look. This wet look lasts for 24 hours and once washed will remain fluffy. If you want that glossy look, you can achieve it easily by applying a brow gel or serum.

Post service, avoid hot showers and don’t exercise for 24 hours in order to keep them dry. After the initial 24 hours, you can wet and cleanse the face with any of your favorite products, which wouldn’t disrupt the shape of the brow.

Overall, thicker hair can endure more treatments every six weeks, but with finer brow hairs, it’s recommended they wait at least ten weeks because it can be damaging to the brow hair. If you want to get the look without the laminating process, try the NYX Professional Makeup Fill & Fluff Eyebrow Pomade Pencil to lift your natural brows with makeup. 

How Long and How Much Does Brow Lamination Cost

With proper care, brow lamination can last four to eight weeks. Many Brow Experts recommend castor oil, as it helps boost hair growth: simply apply a coating of castor oil using a Q-tip before your sleep. The price ranges from $50 to $300 depending on location and the artist who’s performing the treatment.

Image result for what is brow lamination beauty q and a

Like with any new treatment, the results may be transformative, but there’s also underlying risks. If you’re curious about brow lamination, make sure to do your research to find a skilled artist that works out of a licensed, clean salon before booking an appointment. 

For more beauty tips, check out this simple 2020 Beauty Resolutions of mine!

HOW TO USE HIGHLIGHTER SPRAY FOR A LIT-FROM-WITHIN GLOW

Published on by Lee5 Comments

At this point, all beauty junkies worth their weight in mascara know their way around highlighter and can differentiate between a powder formula that packs a punch and a cream formula that adds just a little something. Every once in a while, however, a new product enters the category that causes even the most devoted and experienced to pause and investigate. Cue highlighter sprays, a new take on the (now) classic beauty product. It offers shimmer rather than glitter, and differs from pigment-infused sprays meant to be spritzed all over. Spray highlighters are meant to be applied to a concentrated area, which can be difficult to achieve at first spritz. That’s why we tapped celebrity makeup artist and brand founder Patrick Ta to share his best tips and tricks for mastering the look.

It’s All About Focus

The key to getting a lit-from-within glow is concentrating the highlighter on specific parts of the face. Ta’s Major Glow Highlighting Mist works well for this thanks to its super-fine mist, which offers sheen rather than sparkle. When applying, “make sure you target certain areas of the face,” says Ta, whose go-to spots are the tops of the cheekbone and “C” around the temple.

Distance Is Key

To ensure you don’t look like you dipped your cheek in glitter, it’s important to get the distance right. Ta recommends six inches from the face, which will ensure you’re getting the benefit of the product without overdoing it. If you do go a little overboard, however, just use a clean beauty sponge to dab away excess product.

Use Your Resources

If you need help targeting specific areas, use a sheet of paper to block off the area you want to highlight — similarly to creating a wing using a business card. This will help to keep the highlighter in one place and concentrated in the areas you want to glow. If you want to be a little fancy (and have some extra coin to spend), pick up the Patrick Ta Beauty Major Glow Setting Fan, which can be used to help place the highlighter and set the mist.

It’s Not Just For the Face

According to Ta, the best way to finish off any look is to bring the highlighter down to your neck and décollatege, which helps everything to look cohesive and blended. You can spray the highlighter directly for an extra pop of glow, or buff it in using a brush for a diffused, sun-kissed look.

Read More:

HOW TO COMBINE LIQUID AND POWDER HIGHLIGHTER MAKEUP FOR A BLINDING DREAM

CLEAN BEAUTY– WHAT IS IT AND WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

SELF-SOOTHING PRACTICES EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW