Tag: Beauty Questions

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:

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!

THE MOST-ASKED BEAUTY QUESTIONS, ANSWERED

Published on by Lee2 Comments

For most beauty gurus out there, makeup questions start at an early age and only progress as one gets older; the fascination seems to never fade. And if you’re obsessees like us, beauty Qs come to our mind nearly every day when we apply our full-face beat. Ahead, we rounded up some of the most-pressing beauty questions and provided answers, all in one convenient place. Bookmark this page, and continue on reading!

Q: How Do I Apply Foundation Over Acne?

A: Before you apply your foundation, consider some color-correcting tricks to help neutralize your blemishes. If you have a fresh pimple that is very red, you want to neutralize it with a green color corrector. Use a small, stiff brush and tap the product directly onto the blemish.

Q: How Do I Wear Pimple Patches Under Makeup?

A: Apply your patch after skin care and be extra gentle when applying makeup on the patch area.

Q: How Do I Wear a Statement Eye and Bold Lip at the Same Time?

A: Ask yourself two things: 1) Can your face handle the look? and 2) will you be confident in something that dramatic? If the answer is yes to both, go for it!

Q: Why Does Makeup Pill?

A: One possibility is that the primer or moisturizer you use is affecting the adhesion of the makeup product to the skin and not letting it dry down and set.

Q: How Do I Glue Down My Brows?

A: Mastering the art of gluing down your eyebrows all starts with choosing the right product. There are two main products for gluing down your brows and the right one for you depends on how much you usually sweat. If you aren’t a sweater, using an Elmer’s Glue Stick will work perfectly, but if you tend to sweat more, you will need to use Pros-Aide Cream.

Q: How Can I Wear Lip Liner Without Lipstick?

A: If you’re looking to wear just lip liner as your lip color, you want to make sure your lips are prepped and ready for a pencil (as opposed to a creamier formula). The lips need to be well hydrated.

Q: How Do I Keep My Mascara From Smudging Under My Eyes?

A: Waterproof formulas dry to a matte finish and only move when in contact with an oil, so they are pretty much guaranteed to stay on the lashes and not smudge.

Q: What Is a Foundation Thinner?

A: Foundation thinners are typically colorless fluid mediums that you can mix with foundations, concealers, loose pigments and powders to create thinner versions of different products.

Q: How Do I Wear Colored Eyeliner on My Waterline?

A: You want a pencil that is extremely long-wearing, creamy and pigmented, which will do an excellent job of really filling in the delicate waterline.

Q: How Do I Apply Lipstick on Dry Lips?

A: If your lips are chapped, a lipstick with a creamy finish is ideal because it has the most oil in its formula. Avoid most older matte lipsticks as they tend to have a dryer formula.

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

A:It’s best to buy a lighter shade if you’re unsure of your correct color. If you did buy a foundation that is a little dark, try mixing it with a lighter color concealer. Also, its about to be 2020 which means there are tools out there that can literally help you find your correct shade.

Q: Should I Keep My Beauty Products in the Fridge?

A: The idea of putting your skin-care products in the fridge is popular right now, but we don’t really know whether colder temperatures are beneficial. Most products are formulated to be stable at room temperature. They may be able to withstand extremes in temperature — both hot or cold, but unless the formula has been tested, we don’t know the effect of temperature on the stability of the formulation.

Want to learn more answers to your beauty questions? Read them here!

Ask Lee: Happy New Year

Published on by LeeLeave a comment

I’ve had so much fun answering your questions and I know I missed some months but don’t let that discourage you from submitting them. You never know when another Ask Lee post might pop up! That being said, let’s get to these questions. Here’s what my readers had to say…

Hi Lee, I’ve recently just become a fan of BeautyLeeBar and since you cover all topics I was wondering if you had any feedback for laser hair removal. I’m interested in getting laser hair removal. Do you have any tips on hair removal period? If you’ve done laser where’d you go?

CRAZY I KNOW but I switched from shaving to hair removal cream! No laser hair removal for me yet. The truth is, I was supposed to collab with LaserAway but they are kinda far from me. They are planning to open up a store near me. There is one in Miami, Florida but I live hours and hours away. Maybe I should just go to that one, who knows.

Would you ever do lash or eyebrow tints?

I would LOVE to test this out. It sounds insane!

Have you tried eyelash extensions? Do you like them/have any tips?

No. A lot of people like Ruby Sayed suggested not to get them because, after a while, your real lashes start to fall out. I am planning on doing some research to see how to take care of your lashes during and after that treatment before making any farther decisions. Side Note: go to India Love or your favorite girl celebrity page and compare their lashes. When it is done, the lashes look good (depends on who did it) but you can definitely tell when they need a fill-in. It is like if you aren’t careful, you’ll end up with NO lashes.

I have seen meal plans ads all over Instagram and wanted to know what are your thoughts about it. Also, if ever use a meal plan, can you drop the company you used? Please help me!! Thanks, XOXO

Sadly, I haven’t used any type of meal plans. I would say google meal plans companies around you and check out the food, pricing, and ingredients. Be careful who you get it from though. Or to save money, look up a video on YouTube and create your own meal plan for FREE!

Hi Lee, do you recommend a caffeine sunscreen which I am ordering to try? Have you ever used a coffee face scrub? If so, do you think it would have a similar effect for tightening and brightening the face?

I love coffee scrubs and found some great ones plus I did a DIY coffee scrub. Find them here. I’m always experimenting and trying different beauty products. More DIY’s are on the way!

Love your blog! Would you ever do a Podcast?

I had one on Anchor! Maybe I will start doing podcast again.

Who would listen?

Do you have a smoke-eye tutorial? Or eyeshadow tutorial? It’s a 911 issue. Thanks!

I don’t! I don’t wear eyeshadow everyday. So sorry. I should do more makeup tutorials, more tutorials in general.

Just wondering if you have any skincare tips or secrets you would be willing to share. Btw LOVE your instagram so much, your feed is amazing! You are such an inspiration, a true GIRL BOSS

Thank you, I’m trying.

Of course- for what kind of skin?

CAN YOU DO A POST ABOUT INSECURITY? SOCIAL MEDIA IS SUCH A BUZZ KILL LATELY. HOW DO YOU FOCUS ON YOURSELF INSTEAD OF COMPARING? XO

Yes I can. Great idea.

Don’t let social media kill your buzz- let it fuel you.

Focus on your own lane– don’t pay attention to what everyone else is doing. And if there isn’t a lane, then create one. Love you too.

I have written a few posts on how to boost your mood and about social media. Click here!

Could you start doin more routine posts? Morning routine/Evening routine/Weekly workout routine

Sure, I’m working on more videos now! I’ll add this to my list. Like this idea.

DIDN’T SEE YOUR QUESTIONS? COMMENT DOWN BELOW OR DM ME THE QUESTIONS.

I read every comment and every question!