Tag: Beauty

Rare Beauty Stay Vulnerable Collection Review

Published on by Lee3 Comments

Last year around 2020 BeautyLeeBar reviewed the original Rare Beauty collection, and today I am sharing my thoughts on the Rare Beauty Stay Vulnerable Collection!

I’ll be reviewing the Rare Beauty Stay Vulnerable Melting Cream Blush, the product I am most excited about, and the Stay Vulnerable Glossy Lip Balm.

If you haven’t heard of Rare Beauty before, it was launched in September 2020 by Selena Gomez. It is her first beauty line and proceeds go towards mental health initiatives. Built on an ethos of self-love and confidence, Rare Beauty effortlessly exudes Selena’s down-to-earth, unpretentious relatability. The company also aims to de-stigmatize mental illness, a cause close to Gomez’s heart. A portion of proceeds from each sale goes to the Rare Impact Fund, which supports organizations dedicated to promoting mental health, particularly in marginalized communities. The brand’s philanthropic strategy is informed with the help of the Rare Beauty Mental Health Council, comprised of psychiatrists and activists.

I love the Rare Beauty debut collection, especially the Soft Pinch Liquid Blush which I reviewed here.

What intrigued me the most about the Stay Vulnerable collection was the new blush formula. Rare Beauty is known for its natural, easy-to-apply products, so I couldn’t wait to see how the blushes compare to each other. 

Keep reading for my review of the Stay Vulnerable Melting Cream Blush and the Stay Vulnerable Glossy Lip Balm!

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The Rare Beauty Stay Vulnerable collection includes:

Stay Vulnerable Melting Cream Blush in five shades $21

Stay Vulnerable Liquid Eyeshadow in five shades $20

Stay Vulnerable Glossy Lip Balm in five shades $18

Rare Beauty Stay Vulnerable Melting Cream Blush Review

Rare Beauty Stay Vulnerable Collection Review

Blush is one of the best ways to bring light and color into the face, and the Rare Beauty blushes do that in the best way possible. Some blushes are hard to apply or they make you look like a clown, but that is not the case with these products. 

The Rare Beauty Stay Vulnerable Melting Blush is a cream blush, an in-between of liquid and powder. Cream blushes are amazing because they give you more control than liquid blushes do yet they are more pigmented than powder blushes.

I bought the shade Nearly Berry – deep berry, which is a beautiful color that compliments the deeper skin tone. This liquid-like cream blush melts into a second skin for the most natural-looking wash of soft-focus color. It’s long-lasting which I love, and you can layer it for more pigmentation. 

The best way to apply it is by using your fingers to dab onto your cheeks then blending with a brush. You can also apply it directly with a brush. Either way works which I like because sometimes it’s just easier to use your fingers. Each blush also looks great on the lips and can be worn under the collection’s gloss.

I find the Stay Vulnerable Melting Blush easier to apply compared to the original Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush. If you apply too much of the liquid blush you risk looking like a clown. The melting blush is something you need to build up for lots of pigment so it’s way more beginner-friendly. 

I tend to grab the Stay Vulnerable Melting Cream Blush more than the Soft Pinch Liquid Blush for its convenience. Overall, I would highly recommend this blush if you’re looking for something soft and neutral! Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Stay Vulnerable Melting Cream Blush is the first-of-its-kind water-resistant blush that combines pigments with a non-greasy blend of weightless oils and spherical powders for a natural flush you can’t mess up. The ultralightweight, liquid-like cream melts on contact and blends to a smooth, satin finish that won’t cake, crease, or clog pores.

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Stay Vulnerable Glossy Lip Balm

Rare Beauty Stay Vulnerable Collection Review

I also picked up the Stay Vulnerable Glossy Balm because a girl can never have too many lip products! I was intrigued by it as it’s a lip gloss, but also a lip balm which is a fantastic idea, but not common. 

I got the shade Nearly Berry – soft berry which is a beautiful soft reddish. It applies smoothly and isn’t sticky like most glosses. The gloss itself is neutral and light coverage. It adds just enough color to the lips where you can wear it on top of another product or alone! This has been my go-to lip product so far this summer.

If you’re looking for a gloss that is powerful and pigmented, this probably isn’t for you. But, it is great if you’re looking for an everyday lip gloss. 

The best part about the Stay Vulnerable Glossy Lip Balm is how soft it makes your lips feel. It noticeably nourishes and hydrates your lips. Like a lip mask in a gloss, this ultra-cushiony, comfortable formula hugs lips with nourishing hydration while visibly plumping them with buildable color and shine. Made with a botanical blend of lotus, gardenia, and white waterlily, it also helps soothe, calm, and nourish lips.

I would highly recommend Stay Vulnerable beauty products to anyone who’s looking for a new go-to! 

Question: Have you tried any Rare Beauty products? What are your favorites?

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Selfie Makeup Tutorials That Will Forever Change Your Instagram Game

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 Taking the perfect selfie requires a lot of attention and practice — you have to find that perfect light (hello golden hour) and know what angles work best for you. Whether you’re more of an #IWokeUpLikeThis kind of selfie-taker or want a little more glam, we rounded up four tutorials that’ll help you achieve the perfect photo, and most importantly, will make you feel confident.

For the Natural Selfie

Mia Randria breaks down exactly how she creates her perfect selfie makeup in this tutorial — and it’s all about looking natural while enhancing your best features. One of Randria’s tricks is to use a gel liner on the outer corners of the eye only and extend it to make a small wing. This helps open up the eyes. We recommend using the Maybelline New York Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner to make thin, precise lines.

For the Glowy Selfie

In this gorgeous glowy selfie tutorial, Amrezy focuses on light golden lids and juicy lips. The major takeaway here is to use a glittery eyeshadow — especially in the inner corner of your eyes — because light will softly bounce off the shadow, illuminating the face. Try using the Amrezy Eyeshadow Palette on your lids to achieve the look.

For the Awake, Monochromatic Selfie

Vlogger @iamShelly keeps it clean, simple, and gorgeous in this tutorial. In addition to matching her crease color to her lip color, we also love how she makes her eyes look more awake by applying a light tan eyeliner — like the NYX Professional Makeup Faux Whites Eye Brightener in Vanilla — on her waterline. This touch will make your eyes appear whiter and brighter when you snap that selfie.

For the Ultimate Instagram Tutorial

If you’re makeup-obsessed and want a full beat for your selfie, Alice Lockhart creates a gorgeous take on an Instagram baddie look in this tutorial. Not only does she create impressively sharp winged eyeliner, but she also finishes it off with fluffy lashes and completes the look with an overlined gloss lip. Recreate the lip with the Marc Jacobs Enamored Lip hi-shine gloss lip lacquer.

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Beauty Q and A: Does This TikTok Blush Trend Really Work?

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There are a lot of useful TikTok beauty trends out there — from powder foundation tricks to self-tanning tips. Some, however, raise our collective (and well-groomed) eyebrows, like a certain blush hack that involves applying blush all over the face and layering foundation on top for a dewy, radiant, and flushed finish. To get to the bottom of whether this blush trick works, we tapped makeup artist Kasey Spickard for his thoughts.

@povul

Extreme blush #fyp #tiktoktrends #makeuptransformation

♬ original sound – megan wave

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So, Does This Tiktok Blush Trend Work?

“Here’s the thing, it does work,” says Spickard “Should you do it? No.” Although it’s an eye-catching and entertaining video, he doesn’t recommend incorporating it into your everyday makeup routine. “This trend is using the concept of adding deep contours and bright highlights under the makeup for definition, however, you’re going to end up going through a lot more productive than if you did a standard base and buffed in cream blush later,” he explains.

Spickard also notes that some formulas are simply not meant to be applied all over the face. “I see folks packing liquid lipsticks all over their face and layering foundation on top, which is a total recipe for a breakout,” he says. “These products are not designed to be used that way, and can risk causing skin irritation and breakouts.” 

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The Right Way to Apply Cream Blush for a Flushed Finish

Spickard much prefers to keep it simple when applying cream blush — and guess what? The same, flushed, and radiant finish is possible his way, too. “My favorite method is to start by warming up the cream blush on the back of my hand and using my middle and ring fingers to buff it out onto the cheeks, cheekbones, temples, and nose bridge,” he says. We love the NYX Professional Makeup Bare With Me Luminous Cheek Serum for this. Complete the look by setting the cream formula with a powder blush using a fluffy brush (his favorite is the IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Flat Top Buffing Foundation Brush).

nyx professional makeup luminous blush serum, it cosmetics brush

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How to Get Rid of ACNE SCARS

Published on by Lee5 Comments

Acne scars rarely occur unless we’ve, ehem, picked at them. Sometimes it’s unavoidable, sometimes it’s avoidable but we can’t help ourselves, and sometimes, a pimple never fully comes to fruition, though the ghost of what could’ve been insisting on lingering. Those bastards! That’s because sometimes the clogged pore beneath the breakout we didn’t touch expands to the point that the follicle wall breaks.

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What we’re left with is discoloration, uneven skin, dark or red spots, and sometimes even uneven, slightly pockmarked skin. Now, a new mission is revealed—treat those scars, fast. Here are a few tricks.

Micro-needling

THE THINGS WE DO Ritual Set

This treatment can be done by a professional with a specific machine, or at home with a roller or our favorite, this stamp set. The tiny needles make micro-injuries to the skin, causing only minor, reparable damage that results in accelerated healing and increased collagen production. When skin is healing, new cells are being pushed to the top, evening out the skin tone and texture to rid even deep scarring over time.

AHAs

GOLDE Papaya Bright

Alpha hydroxy acids are exfoliating compounds in many skincare products and naturally found in fruit acids, which is why we love this papaya enzyme mask for gentle, regular exfoliation. While we don’t want to irritate the skin by over-exfoliation, fruit acids are safe for one to two times weekly. You can also use fruit puree or even yogurt from natural lactic acid (another AHA) for an easy at-home remedy, though a little messier.

Rosemary 

LIVING LIBATIONS Rosemary Reset Powder

We don’t commonly think of this herb for skincare uses, but we definitely should. This tasty aromatic increases circulation when consumed, but also when applied topically, which brings nutrient-dense blood to the point of application, speeding healing. It’s also anti-inflammatory and reduces redness. We love this powder used as a spot treatment on our scars whilst we WFH, mixed with a little healing oil of choice, like tamanu, or DewDab for good measure.

LED Light

DMH AESTHETICS LED Light Shield Mask

Light therapy is exploding right now, and for good reason. These light-emitting electrodes heat things up at different therapeutic wavelengths to boost circulation, speed healing, and combat the signs of aging. The DMH Aesthetics mask comes with three settings: red, blue, and amber. While blue prevents acne in the first place, red and amber will be best for stimulating new collagen and cell turnover, revealing fresh, even skin with regular use.

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Manuka Honey

MANUKAGUARD Honey Dew Manuka Honey

Not only is this sweet treat powerfully antimicrobial to prevent breakouts to begin with, but it’s got soothing, anti-inflammatory properties to boot. Apply a light layer as a mask as often as you like, or go for a spot treatment a few times a week.

Aloe Vera

HOLIKA HOLIKA Aloe 99% Soothing Gel

You have some DIY options here. Buy a convenient bottle of the concentrated stuff, or whack off a leaf at the source, slicing off the spikes on the side and fileting out the goo to apply directly onto the face. Aloe is super hydrating, repairing, and soothing, reducing the appearance of scars by nourishing the area. You can even apply a little slab of the clear aloe plant innards onto a scar like a Band-aid spot treatment while working from home to let it work its magic for as long as possible. Don’t overdo it though—aloe, like most other fruits and veggies, has some natural acids in it, making it mildly exfoliating. Overuse can actually cause dryness and irritation, so no need to do this twice a day, every day.