Tag: ask me anything

Three Hacks to Hide Fine Lines With Makeup

Published on by Lee2 Comments

Fine lines: a beauty guru’s worst enemy as we mature into our grown-up skin. These teeny tiny creases creep up on us at the worst possible makeup moments, making foundation look cracked and less-than-perfect, and we’d do just about anything to make them disappear for good. Of course, more power to you if you wear your fine lines with pride — but sometimes you just want your makeup to look flawless, and they get in the way. Don’t you think?

Rule 1: Always, Always Moisturize and Prep

Fine lines look so much more obvious when skin is dull and dehydrated — that’s why Thompson’s first rule of thumb is to always hydrate the skin. “Moisturizing very well before applying makeup always help diminish the look of fine lines,” she says. “In addition to that, opting for a primer that has a blurring or smoothing effect not only helps the appearance of pores but fine lines as well.” We love a hefty moisturizer like the Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Moisturizer for this step.

Rule 2: Blurring Sticks Are Your BFF

“The Lancôme Blur and Go Priming Stick and Milani Instant Touch-Up Blur Stick are my absolute favorites when blurring out fine lines! It sits beautifully under makeup, and works well on top of moisturizer. A priming and smoothing stick will do wonders to make your fine lines less visible. It truly gives you the airbrushed look with little effort before applying foundation.

Rule 3: Set Before Makeup

My final golden rule is actually a bit counterintuitive: I suggest you set your face before you reach for that foundation. A little trick I like to do that works wonders for creasing is after applying your moisturizer and primer to the face, lightly set any area with powder before applying your cream or liquid foundation. This way, your face will be extra protected from creasing makeup: This really locks in what was underneath and prevents a barrier from your foundation seeping into those lines.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE HACK?

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PRODUCT TO HIDE AWAY THOSE FINE LINES?

( If anyone have any tips that they would love to share, leave it in the comments!

Beauty Q&A: I Bought The Wrong Foundation Shade — What Should I Do?

Published on by Lee2 Comments

Finding the correct shade of foundation can sometimes be a challenge, especially when you fall in between shades or are unsure of how to match foundation. What’s worse is heading home after a spree at Sephora only to realize that you chose the wrong foundation shade. Do you immediately turn around and return it, or should you add it to your makeup stash anyway? And even the Ulta Beauty and Sephora employees don’t always get it right.

If You’re Unsure of Your Shade, Go Lighter

If the shade is a little lighter than what you usually wear, you might be ok. It’s harder to lighten a foundation as there’s only really few tricks to do so, so it’s best to ask for a sample of the shades you think you are so you can take home and see. The samples are free. If you did buy a foundation that is a little dark, try mixing it with a lighter color concealer or use a foundation powder that is 1 or 2 shades lighter to lighten up the foundation.

Mix and Match the Same Formula

The best and easiest way to rectify purchasing a wrong foundation is to mix a lighter or darker concealer, in the same formulation, with the foundation to make it match your skin tone. If the foundation is extremely light, I suggest to strategically use bronzer to help deepen the shade. You can even try to mix the lighter foundation with a darker shade.

Contour to Your Advantage

The last tip is an important one: If you buy the wrong foundation shade, use your face structure to your advantage. “Since the face has natural contours to it, you can use that to your advantage when your foundation is slightly off from your skin tone. Highlighting and contouring in the right places will help conceal the foundation not matching your skin tone. So next time, before you run back to repurchase, play with some mixing and give it a whirl.

Stand Your Ground

Published on by Lee7 Comments

This is a topic I’ve been wanting to talk about for a while and with recent events in my life, I feel it’s wildly appropriate to touch base on now. I’ve struggled with standing up for myself a few times in my life. It’s strange because I absolutely know my worth, I know what I offer up to people and what I expect to be offered up in return, but still, I sometimes silence myself than make my truth known. I’m one hundred percent a people pleaser, sometimes to a fault, but I don’t think being that way is always a bad thing! Obviously, if you let people walk all over you and never speak up, then you should probably make a few changes, but if you’re putting peoples emotions in consideration and accommodating them, then wanting to please doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

I’ve always been the type to speak my mind and be honest, but sometimes in order to avoid conflict, I’ll stay quiet which over time leads to me carrying so much resentment in. The feeling of resentment drives me sick and can truly be sometimes scary to me. I’ve learned in my twenty-one years that honesty… is the best policy… No matter how uncomfy or scary it may be, holding your feelings in leads to resentment, then frustration with yourself or others, then self-sabotage and the horrifying list literally goes on and on.

I’ve been speaking to my mom about this recently and it shocks me how often we as humans decide to put our feelings aside just to avoid conflict. Trust me, I don’t like conflict and confrontation as much as the next woman but I’ve come to notice how detrimental it can be to the relationship with yourself and others if it’s avoided. A few weeks ago, for example, I was getting breakfast at Dunkin Donuts before heading into work, the woman completely gave me the wrong change and refused to fix it. She tried to say I didn’t give her exact change but it showed I did, I even had the receipt, the manager had to get involve and fix it. The young woman wasn’t nice, she had an attitude from the jump and treated me like I was the dumb one instead of admitting she made a mistake which happens. Yes, that time I spoke up but sometimes I catch myself being quiet. I don’t care if you’re family, friends or a stranger  – I will always speak up no matter what.

As women, we’ve been told that demanding things makes us bossy and annoying so therefore we have to politely ask and hope for the best. NO!!! Demanding doesn’t have to be a bad action if you’re doing it with decisive instruction and polite manners!

Basically, I’m just trying to urge you to be unapologetic for what you want for yourself. If what you want is fair and you’re approaching it in a kind way. You don’t need to apologize for standing your ground or not settling for anything less than what you want, ESPECIALLY if you’re a woman. Don’t let a power trip get to your head but you have every single right to ask for and receive the things you want. We have far too many people trying to silence women and men of all different ages and color, so let’s not succumb to that absurd and prehistoric way of behavior anymore!

Ask Lee: How To Know If You’re Ready for the Chop

Published on by Lee2 Comments

As all of you know, I keep shaving off my hair. It was my first real haircut in years, so it was a big change. But I’ve got to say, I’m loving my short haircut so far! I’ve received a lot of compliments on my hair from followers, family members, and strangers. There have been a few messages on my Instagram asking me why I did it and how I felt before and after the chop. Today I wanted to address those questions in my latest Ask Lee post. Here are the things to consider before getting a major haircut…

Is everything else in your life stable?

I understand the instinct to chop your hair off right after a breakup or other major life change. But as nice as it is to start fresh, you’re also more likely to make a rash decision you’ll regret. So if you’re considering making a big change to your look, try to do it when everything else in your life is status quo.

To some, it might seem I woke up one morning and just shaved off my head but,  in reality, I thought about it for a least 2 weeks. Sometimes I do things without thinking and with my hair, I put a lot of thought into it. If you know me, you know growing up I hated getting trims. Always felt like they cut off too much. It was never a good time until now. I still don’t trust anyone with my hair but my aunt Jillie who went to cosmetology school and her specialty was haircuts shaved my head for me. After looking into my mirror, I knew I made the best decision for me. 

Can you take it slow?

When I told my hairstylist Jillie that I wanted a shave, she kept asking me am I sure. The reasons I wanted to shave off my hair was because I had dead ends and because I wanted to be free.

But I would suggest you cut a little bit off first and get used to playing with your new texture and length before really going for it. It will make the transition a lot easier and also gives you a chance to change your mind. 

Are you prepared for high maintenance?

It’s a big misconception that shorter hair is easier to care for. Yes, you might save a little time shampooing. But it takes more time to style shorter hair, and you will also have to get more frequent trims (every 4-6 weeks) to maintain your shortcut. I now wear wigs whenever I just want to switch it up or don’t feel like dealing with my short hair. 

But I will say, I’ve been using Curls, Elasta QP and Orshaircare for months now, maybe even for a year and my short hair has been easier to handle and to take care of especially when my hair is under those wigs. I now shave my own hair with Wahl Corded Color Pro Color Kit. The kit has everything I need and more, I feel like a real barber.

If you answered yes to all three questions, then you are ready for a short haircut!

I know it seems silly to put so much thought into getting a haircut, but as anyone who has ever had a bad haircut knows, it’s best to really be sure about these things! Plus, if you anything like me, then you will want to make sure you have the best barber and tools for your hair. Also, make sure you in the right frame of mind to make this type of big decision that can change your life forever.

Are you considering cutting your hair?

I hope my advice helped!

XO Lee