Tag: Beauty

WHY YOU SHOULD MIX HIGHLIGHTER WITH FOUNDATION

Published on by Lee4 Comments

The search for perfect-looking skin has our constant attention — we invest in fancy foundations, skin-smoothing primers and magical blending sponges. But little did we know that creating a flawless makeup base has less to do with these methods and a whole lot more to do with what we mix our foundation with. Ahead, we broke down exactly how to achieve the look by mixing highlighter with our favorite foundation formula, and we can guarantee that the results are better than any other method out there. 

STEP 1: Pick the Right Liquid-Based Highlighter

Picking the right illuminating product is key to making this makeup mix a success. First and foremost, choose a highlighter that has more of a sheer finish, as opposed to a glittery, shimmery one. You’ll need a lightweight formula like the Dermablend Glow Creator Highlighting Drops that will blend seamlessly with your foundation to leave a natural, subtle glow.

STEP 2: Mix It Up

Mix equal parts foundation (our current favorite is the YSL All Hours Longwear Foundation) and highlighter on the back of your hand. The total combination should equal a dime-sized amount. If needed, add more to make sure you have the right amount of coverage. Just be careful that you don’t end up with thick, cakey makeup.

STEP 3: Blend, Blend, Blend

Dot the mixture on your forehead, cheeks, nose and chin and smooth it all over the face (we recommend working from the center and blending outward) with a blending sponge or foundation brush, until your makeup is evenly distributed around your face and neck. Make sure to blend well, so that there are no streaks or splotching. Your makeup should look like second skin. For a next-level glow, feel free to add more strategically placed highlighter on the high points of your face when you’re finished with the rest of your makeup.

Read More:

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner to receive giveaways, updates, and other special emails from the site owner.

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

8 CHEAP BEAUTY GIFTS YOU CAN BUY AT THE DRUGSTORE

Published on by LeeLeave a comment

If year-after-year you find yourself taking part in the last-minute shopping scramble (guilty!), we’re happy to report that scooping up amazing beauty gifts on a time crunch — and on a budget — is easier than ever. Enter, the drugstore, an around-the-corner destination with a well-stocked beauty section to boot. So, stop panicking and check out our favorite, affordable holiday gift sets below.   

NYX Professional Makeup Holiday Love Lust Disco Suede Matte Lipstick

Red lips and the holidays go together like milk and cookies — it’s an automatic crowd-pleaser. Take it from us, this lipstick and liner duo is a guaranteed win for just about anyone. Plus, the gold packaging is so festive, you can even skip the wrapping paper. The combo is available in Munchies, a soft gray; Spicy, a true red; and Cherry Skies, a deep berry. All the shades are perfect for a holiday party beat or warm, winter makeup look. 

Essie Gel Couture Holiday Set Diamond in the Cuff 

Give the gift of a long-lasting manicure with this Essie polish set. The bundle comes with Essie Daring Damsel, a gold champagne shade, and the Essie long wear Top Coat. Metallic nails are definitely having a moment, so whoever receives this gift will be turning heads through the new year. 

Maybelline New York Winter Wonder Glam Total Look Kit 

If you’re anything like us, over packing for holiday travels is a hallmark of your personality. Who doesn’t pack three bags for a weekend trip? To help scale back the baggage, throw in this all-in-one gift set that has everything you need for a holiday-approved face beat. It includes the Color Sensational Made for All, a universal red lipstick, Master Precise All Day Liquid Liner, Lash Sensational Mascara and Lasting Fix Setting Spray. 

E.l.f. Cosmetics Eye Candy Eyeshadow Duo Set 

E.l.f.’s candy-themed holiday collection has us drooling  — literally and figuratively. We’re especially loving this eyeshadow set and not just because of the creative play-on-words. With three different eyeshadow duos, this gift has it all to create a festive holiday eye or muted, natural everyday look. Not to mention, they’re super-pigmented shades and easy to blend. 

L’Oréal Paradise Lash Paradise Gift Set 

There may be snow on the ground (depending on where you live, of course), but this Lash Paradise mascara set will transport anyone to happy thoughts of warmer weather. Scoop up the iconic mascara and primer at your drugstore for a quick, save-the-day present. Whether you’re treating yourself to holiday glam or gifting this iconic duo, you can’t go wrong. A quick swipe and you’ll have crazy long lashes. 

Maybelline New York Countdown Holiday Mini Mascara Kit 

TBH we don’t know why, but for some reason travel-sized beauty products are just so adorable, right? This Maybelline mascara sampler is an automatic add to cart because how cute? The set contains Total Temptation, Lash Sensational, The Colossal and Great Lash in mini-versions. We love this gift set for the friend that’s always on-the-go because the minis are great to toss in a carry-on bag.  

Kristin Ess Style Reviving Dry Shampoo and Pin

We’d prefer if greasy hair didn’t make an appearance at our family holiday reunion, please and thanks. So, if you’re stuck at the office and need a little refresh before running to an after-hours party, look no further than this dry shampoo and accessory set. There’s no need for a blowout, just spray a little dry shampoo, fasten the rose gold pin in the front of your hair and voilà, a total hair makeover. 

Garnier SkinActive Micellar Makeup Remover 

Whether you broke out a new red lip or a sparkly eye, chances are you may be wearing more makeup than usual this time of year. Make sure your face is makeup-free post-party with the Garnier SkinActive Micellar Makeup Remover Set. It has cleansing water (in full-size and travel-size) and on-the-go makeup removing wipes. 

RELATED POSTS:

Read More:

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner to receive giveaways, updates, and other special emails from the site owner.

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

You’ll Want To Buy A New Pillow After Reading This

Published on by Lee1 Comment

Here’s a gross fact: your body sheds around 600,000 particles of skin every hour (give or take) and over the course of your life you’ll lose around half your weight in skin cells. What does this have to do with your pillow? Well, every night you shed millions of skin particles onto your pillow, along with sweat, dead hair, saliva, and oil, which all get absorbed into your pillow. Here’s where it gets really gross… Some studies have estimated that up to a third of the weight of old pillows are made up of dead skin, dust and dust mites.

What does that mean? You really need to be washing your pillow as well as your pillowcase a lot more regularly. The longer your pillow goes unwashed (every few months is recommended) the more dead skin and dust build-up there is to attract more dust mites to feast on your dead skin.

Besides all this being super nausea-inducing, using the same pillow for years without washing (guilty) is especially bad for allergy sufferers, but it also essentially ‘dirties’ your outer pillowcase more quickly, and that’s not good for your skin. So even if you’re washing your pillowcase every week (which we recommend), that pillowcase is still coming into contact with your nasty old pillow and all the lingering dust mites that go along with it.

How often do you wash your pillows?

So, what should you do? If you’ve had a pillow for more than three years and never washed it, start by washing it in the machine (if it’s feather you can have it dry cleaned) and then perhaps consider buying yourself a new pillow. In general, try to wash your pillows every three months and consider buying a new one every three years. You can also leave pillows out on a hot sunny day when you change your sheets, as pillows build up moisture, which becomes the perfect breeding ground for bacteria and bugs. After a day in the sun, you’ll notice your pillows will have ‘fluffed up’ considerably thanks to moisture evaporating in the sun.

You can also buy pillow protectors, like this zippered 100% Cotton Bed Bug, Dust Mite & Allergy Control Pillow Protector, $11, which will act as a second barrier against dust mites and will extend the life of your pillow – just wash it every month.

Moral of the story? Unless you want to be sleeping on a pillow packed with thousands of dust mites, dead skin and sweat, we suggest you get washing those pillows asap… We’re just about to buy ourselves a new set!

This $6 Mascara Will Give You The Sexiest Lashes

Published on by Lee1 Comment

One thing we love about mascara is that we get to buy a new one every few months – it’s the perfect opportunity to get our beauty fix and try a new formula! We discovered our latest mascara obsession thanks to a subscriber insanely long, fluttery lashes, who revealed that she swore by the Covergirl Super Sizer Mascara. She loves it so much that every time she travels back to the US, she stocks up on it. Naturally, we had to try it out, and we were not disappointed. Here’s everything you need to know about this amazing $6 mascara!

What it is: A volumizing mascara designed to give full, fanned out lashes.

The brush: Let’s be honest, a mascara wand is as important if not more important than the formula when it comes to mascara, and this wand is pretty unique, to say the least! The rubber wand is made with little bristles that go from short to long at the top of the wand, aka the opposite to most mascara wands, and it feels more like a comb than a brush. When you first pull the brush out of the tube, it almost looks like there are no bristles as they’re so coated with formula.

What we liked: We love how this made our lashes look long, fluttery but also intense, however, we will say it takes a little getting used to – we’re going to give you all our tips! The mascara added a lot of drama to our lashes and depending on the look we wanted to go for, we found that – with a bit of practice – we could achieve natural, fluffy-looking lashes, or more dramatic, defined lashes.

Another huge bonus is that we had absolutely no flaking or smudging throughout the day – and we wore this from 9am till 11pm! We also like the fanned out the effect this gives to our lashes, but you will need to wiggle the brush around and pull your lashes outward to get a super fanned effect.

Tips for using: When you first use this mascara, a lot of product comes off on your lashes – it’s not one of those you need to build up – so it’s really important that you twist the brush when you apply to comb the product through. It also means that you probably won’t need to dip the brush back in the tube between eyes, so what we like to do is apply to one eye and comb through, then do the next eye, then once there’s less product on the brush, comb through the lashes again. This gives us super full, defined lashes that look sexy and fluttery. For a more intense look you can build it up with a second coat, but do it while the lashes are still wet.

Who it’s good for: We recommend this for people with medium to long lashes who want to add volume and definition and a little curl. If you have short lashes, this will add length and volume but it’s not the most lengthening mascara we’ve tried.

Considering the Covergirl Super Sizer Mascara costs $6, it’s a no-brainer for us. We loved the look we could achieve and how well it wore throughout the day. If you’re more of a wack-it-on-and-go kinda gal, then this may not be for you because it does take a little time to perfect.

Have you guys tried this mascara? Let us know in the comments below.