Ulta Beauty – Page 3

This Ahhhhmazing Drugstore Scrub Will Smooth Your Skin Like You Won’t Believe!

Published on November 15, 2018November 15, 2018 by LeeLeave a comment

I’ve been obsessed with Soap & Glory for a really really long time, their products always smell divine (a bomb fragrance is everything to me) and they use the most gorgeous ingredients. They have this scrub called, Soap & Glory Smoothie Star Breakfast Scrub, $15; it literally sloughs away every last bit of dead skin. Unlike some scrubs that can make your skin oily without really scrubbing, this one will actually exfoliate your skin and leave it crazy clean. It’s not super softening, but it’s one of my all-time faves because it just gets the job done; be sure to follow with a good moisturizer.

It’s an award-winning oat, shea butter and sugar body smoother with a great maple scent. The SMOOTHIE STAR™ BREAKFAST SCRUB features a super skin-smoothing blend of cupuacu bio scrubs, bananas, almond, and honey extracts to gently polish, smooth and moisturizes the skin.

I also love that it uses amazing natural ingredients like oats, honey, and bananas – I know, it sounds delicious, like some yummy maple syrup pudding. Oats are surprisingly good for your skin; they contain amino acids that can heal damaged skin and even target blemishes. Bananas and honey are also incredible natural ingredients that are loaded with good-for-your-skin vitamins and have anti-bacterial properties. With the added benefits of shea butter, almond oil, sea salt, and brown sugar, it’s basically a huge tub of food for your skin! I find with a scrub you need to use a good amount, or the exfoliation isn’t the same, and because this tub is huge, you can use a lot every time without having to worry about saving it (unlike when you have an expensive scrub, and you skimp, because you spent so much money on it)!

DIY Your Own Breakfast Scrub!

I love this scrub so much I’ve even recreated it myself. It’s a little bit messy, but it’s totally worth it.

For your face: Mash up half a ripe banana with a fork and combine it with two tablespoons of organic oats and about a teaspoon of honey. Combine the mix and then smother your face with it. I like to gently rub it onto my skin for exfoliation (over the sink, as the oats can fall off), and then I leave it on my face for around fifteen minutes.

For your body: Mash up one ripe banana, and combine with half a cup of brown sugar, half a cup of oatmeal, and two tablespoons of coconut oil. Jump in the shower, plaster your body with the scrub (I always go in sections, my arms, my body, my legs) and rub in circular motions – this usually takes me a good few minutes. Rinse thoroughly with water and pat your skin dry.

Primp Tip: How to Find Your Perfect Brow Shape

Published on September 12, 2018May 1, 2024 by Lee1 Comment

Eyebrows have been a hot topic of conversation for a while now. Similar to fashion, it seems as if brow trends come and go with the seasons. When I was in high school thin, over-tweezed brows were everywhere. But now, it’s time to give the tweezers a rest! Full brows are dominating the beauty scene. And while bold is on trend, not every woman has been blessed in this department. Rather than force an unnatural shape, this post is all about learning how to enhance your natural eyebrows with minimal tools (and less plucking!). Let’s get to it…

Locating The Start And Endpoints

Begin by lining up your tweezers along the side of your nose. By doing this you should be able to see that the front of your brows should align with the upper bridge of your nose. After you do this, very minimal tweezing between your brows should be done to prevent your eyebrows from looking too far apart. My advice is to just get rid of stray hairs and nothing more.

To locate the end of your brows, align your tweezers with the outer corner of your eyes. Where your tweezers meet your brow bone is ideally where your eyebrows should end. Remember that everyone’s brows are different! Not all brows will extend to the outer corner of the eye and some will reach past this point. Similar to grooming the start of your brows, you don’t want to over-tweeze the end of your brows either. You just want to clean up stray hairs here and there.

Defining The Arch

The easiest way to define your arch is by using a white eyeliner pencil. Using a white eyeliner pencil will help you locate stray hairs that fall outside of your defined eyebrow shape. Draw a line tracing the bottom of your eyebrow. You should be following the natural arch of your eyebrow for this step, not creating a new one. Once you’ve drawn the line, tweeze whatever stray hairs fall below it.

My last bit of advice for defining your brows is to trim them. To do this, use an eyebrow spooly and comb those brows upwards. Take eyebrow scissors and trim any hairs that are longer than your actual brow shape. This step helps maintain your shape more than just using products alone.

Brow Sculpting 101

Now that you’ve enhanced the natural shape of your brows, it’s time to help them out a bit. If you’re more of a natural girl when it comes to makeup, brow gels are going to be your best friend. Clear gels will help keep your brows sculpted all day long without having to fill them in. If you have sparse brows I recommend trying your hand at brow pencils, powders or colored gels.

While drama isn’t necessarily a bad thing, remember to keep it natural when filling in your brows. Start by filling in the arches, using strokes that mimic the direction of your natural hair growth. Then, follow your arches to fill in the end of your eyebrows. Use longer strokes here but don’t go too far past the ends.

Lastly, use smaller strokes to fill in the starting points of your eyebrows. This area is where you should be filling in your brows the least. Like I mentioned earlier, use strokes that mimic your actual hairs as to avoid any over-filling. As a finishing touch, use a spooly to blend the product into your brows for the most natural effect.

Like anything else in life, practice makes perfect. If you’re still unsure about grooming your brows, here’s how to decide whether to wax, thread or tweeze. I hope this helps any brow debacles that you might be having!

What tips and tricks do you have when it comes to brows?

I’d love to hear your suggestions in the comments.

XO Lee

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Primp Tip: My 5-Minute Makeup Routine

Published on August 31, 2018May 1, 2024 by LeeLeave a comment

We all have mornings where we’re strapped for time yet still need to look presentable. Trust me when I say I’ve been there! Your alarm clock doesn’t go off, you’ve pressed snooze one too many times, or your morning just isn’t going quite the way you want it to. With a busy schedule and hardly enough time to make breakfast, putting on a full face of makeup doesn’t always make sense.

I’ve had my fair share of practice over the years when it comes to applying makeup in a pinch. So today I thought I’d share my foolproof 5-minute makeup routine to save you time on those busy mornings. Keep scrolling to see how you too can achieve a perfectly put together look in no time at all…

Start at the foundation.

On busy mornings I opt for lighter but even-looking coverage when it comes to foundation. I want my skin to have a healthy, even glow without going over the top. For this I use Black Radiance TRUE COMPLEXION™ BB CREAM or I use Iman Second To None Stick Foundation/ Iman Second To None Cream To Powder. I love how blendable their foundation is and the end result feels completely weightless.

Once my foundation is evenly applied, I reach for my NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, Too Faced Born This Way Concealer Naturally Radiant Concealer-Deep with Golden Undertones or FENTY BEAUTY by Rihanna Match Stix Trio. I like to cover any noticeable redness or dark circles under my eyes, but make sure to do the bare minimum. Next, I use TRUE COMPLEXION™ SOFT FOCUS FINISHING POWDER to give me an airbrush flawless finish look. Remember, we’re trying to save as much time as possible. Save any major contouring for another day!

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Make me blush.

Don’t forget to leave the house with a pretty, natural flush. I like to lightly contour my cheeks by applying Anastasia Beverly Hills Bronzing Powder in Mahogany. I rarely contour my entire face so just a touch of bronzing powder does the trick.

I then apply PÜR 4-In-1 Blush Book to the apples of my cheeks. It adds enough color to give me a healthy glow without being over the top.

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Easy on the eyes.

Believe it or not there are only four products that I use on my eyes on a regular basis—whether I’m trying to save time or not! First I start by sculpting my brows. I’m more of a natural girl myself, especially in the brow department. I use the Tinted Brow Gel – Granite to keep my brows put and the Anastasia Brow Definer – Dark Brown to make my brows look defined. I pencil in my eyebrows mimicking the natural direction of the hair and use the spooli on the other end to blend it all out.

Sometimes, I go in with my Morphe 25A COPPER SPICE EYESHADOW PALETTE, ABH
Modern Renaissance Palette, ABH Soft Glam Eyeshadow Palette Once, and/or ABH Norvina Eyeshadow Palette. When I’m done putting on eyeshadow, I coat my eyelashes with Benefit Cosmetics Roller Lash Curling & Lifting Mascara and call it good!

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The perfect pout.

Perfectly applying lip liner and lipstick (don’t get any on your teeth!) can take up way too much time. Instead, using a tinted lip balm will not only give your lips hydration but will also give them a nice, natural wash of color that is perfect for school, appointments or work. Before I head out the door I swipe on Maybelline New York Baby Lips Cherry Balm or FENTY BEAUTY by Rihanna Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer for moisture. It leaves my lips extra soft.

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And there you have it! With enough practice you’ll have this routine down in five minutes flat.

How do you save time in the morning?

I’d love to hear your tips in the comments!

XO Lee

Beauty Essential: My Favorite Foundations

Published on August 24, 2018August 24, 2018 by Lee1 Comment

It is hard for me as a woman of color to find the perfect foundation. Luckily,  there are tools  out there to help me find the product for me. Over the years, I've went through countless brands in search of the hue that would match my melanin skin tone. I have six brands that I'm in love with. If you want to know which brands have my heart and want more information about them before buying your next foundation then keep on reading.

NARS

I have been using Nars Sheer Glow Foundation for couple of months now and honestly my makeup always ends up looking hydrated, more luminous, softer, and smoother. It has a sheer, buildable coverage foundation with a radiant natural finish. The Sheer Glow Foundation glides on effortlessly, blurring imperfections and evening out skin tone for the ultimate sophisticated finish that allows your skin’s natural beauty to shine through. I recommend this product especially to those who have dry skin.

What it does:
Sheer Glow Foundation enhances, without masking, your overall natural complexion. Powered by the NARS Complexion Brightening Formula, this lightweight, buildable formula delivers a range of effects while evening the complexion and improving skin’s texture and brightness. Powerful antioxidants protect against damaging free radicals, while glycerin, known as one of the most effective and well known humectants, attracts and holds moisture. A vitamin C derivative helps to brighten skin and diminish the look of discoloration. Tumeric extract, a plant of the ginger family, improves skin radiance and evens the skintone.

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From Nars, I also used the Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation. It has medium buildable coverage, up to 16 hours of lightweight, natural, fade-resistant wear, featuring full-powered radiance to smooth the look of skin.

This transfer-resistant, sweat-resistant formula stays color-true all day, and continues to look fresh and vibrant, as if it was just applied. This formula features superior blendability for an imperceptible effect that looks natural, like skin. It doesn’t look or feel cakey, heavy, drying, or masking. A unique combination of translucent base with micronized amino acid-coated pigments and mineral tone-balancing powders mimic skin’s tone, fusing with it for the closest match. NARS’ Skin Optimizing Complex—a blend of raspberry, apple, and watermelon extracts—helps support skin’s elastic fibers to smooth and improve skin’s appearance over time for optimal radiance.

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And another one! You might be over Nars right now but these are the foundations that I have tried from them which happens to my favorites. NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation is an oil-free liquid foundation that neutralizes discoloration and delivers full, natural-looking coverage with one drop, for weightless, 16-hour wear.

What it does:
All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation delivers full, natural-looking coverage with unexpectedly weightless, 16-hour wear—all with just one drop. Tone Correcting Technology works instantly and long-term to neutralize redness, dullness and discoloration for more even, uniform skin. Unique blend of optical and skincare ingredients smooths skin while enhancing its natural beauty.

Weightless Long-Wear Technology creates a uniquely fluid formula that delivers complete coverage with unexpected weightless wear. This breakthrough technology contains a proprietary blend of pigments, treated by a unique polymer to make them water-, sweat-, and sebum-resistant. Unlike typical treated pigments, they weightlessly deliver long-wear complete coverage without masking the skin. The result is a naturally perfected look. The advanced flexible polymer moves with your skin to provide a comfortable, breathable feel and a natural look that lasts for 16 hours. It provides moisture barrier protection for a non-drying feel.

"Makeup shouldn’t cover your skin, it should enhance your natural beauty, not mask it." - François Nars, Founder and Creative Director of NARS

FENTY BEAUTY by Rihanna

What it is:
A soft matte, long-wear foundation with buildable, medium-to-full coverage, in a boundary-breaking range of shades.

What it does:
Finally—the ultimate photo filter in foundation form. Born in 40 boundary-breaking shades, Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation gives skin an instantly smooth, pore-diffused, shine-free finish that easily builds to medium to full coverage. The oil-free formula is made with climate-adaptive technology that’s resistant to sweat and humidity, and won’t clog pores so that wherever you are, it’s going to work on your skin. Best of all, this longwearing, light-as-air texture is undetectable on skin—so you always look like you.

I am obsessing over Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation that provides us with a soft matte finish that’s just right—not too matte and not too shiny. The result? A comfortable long-wear formula that lets skin look like skin.

"Foundation is one of those areas in the beauty industry that has a big void for women at extreme ends of the shade spectrum. There’s this middle ground that's covered really, really well. But then if you're very pale or if you're very dark, there aren’t a lot of options. And so, I wanted to make sure that women of all skin tones were covered so they could be included in what I created."— Rihanna, Brand Founder

SEPHORA COLLECTION

10 HR Wear Perfection Foundation has a buildable coverage that instantly conceals blemishes with an invisible, flawless finish.

What it does:
Conceal blemishes, pigmentation marks, scars, and dark spots with this foundation that provides a natural, beautiful finish. This formula blends with your skin tone to create an invisible veil, like a second skin that adapts to all the movements of the face for optimum comfort all-day long. Hyaluronic acid smooths the skin, while antioxidant vitamin E protects against external stressors. Soft focus pigments blur out blemishes and soften the appearance of wrinkles for a youthful-looking, even complexion.

Urban Decay

Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Foundation is an oil-free, lightweight liquid foundation that feels like wearing nothing at all, while leaving a demi-matte finish.

What it does:
Urban Decay’s Naked Skin Liquid Makeup leaves skin looking natural, illuminated, and bright with a luminous demi-matte finish: like the beautiful skin you were born with. Light-diffusing spheres provide a visible reduction in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, blurring imperfections for beautifully perfected, ultra-definition skin that looks completely real.

It provides truly buildable coverage with a weightless feel and a luminous finish. And it’s loaded with nourishing ingredients, including: Matrixyl 3000 (a powerful anti-wrinkle peptide), protective and brightening Litchiderm™, antioxidant green tea, and sodium hyaluronate for optimal skin hydration and nutrient absorption. The sleek, hygienic pump provides more control, with less waste of product.

Bare Minerals

BareMinerals Original Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 15 is a mineral foundation with buildable coverage and a natural-looking, radiant finish.

What it does:
With the smooth, radiant look of a liquid foundation and the breathability of a powder, it’s no wonder this is the #1 Loose Powder Foundation in America. An original from the start, this formula is made with only five skin-loving mineral ingredients. Original Foundation’s minerals transform from powder to a silky cream when swirled, then buff and melt onto the face for a luminous, second-skin finish.

Original Foundation provides customized coverage designed to be buildable from sheer to full. All-day wear means less time spent on touch-ups, and non-chemical SPF 15 protection keeps sun damage at bay, helping skin stay healthier and younger-looking. This foundation is formulated for all skin types and is safe even for sensitive skin.

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BareMinerals Matte Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 15 is an oil-controlling mineral foundation with skin-loving ingredients, buildable sheer-to-full coverage, non-chemical Broad Spectrum SPF 15 protection and a natural matte finish.

What it does:
This foundation’s good-for-skin, weightless minerals buff and blend seamlessly upon application. Redness, imperfections, fine lines, and wrinkles appear instantly blurred. Silica helps absorb excess skin oil, and the appearance of pores virtually disappear after buffing onto skin. Skin looks visibly better immediately, and actually improves over time, too.

It’s the ideal foundation for normal-to-oily skin types or the perfect alternative to Original Foundation’s luminous finish on those days when you want to go matte.

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Bare Minerals BAREPRO Performance Wear Powder Foundation is a 12-hour wear, pressed mineral powder foundation formulated with 90 percent vitamins and minerals for naturally matte, full, flawless coverage.

What it does:
BAREPRO® Performance Wear Powder Foundation provides 12-hour long-wear with stay-true pigments. Redefining high-performance foundation, the formula is dermatologist tested to be non-acnegenic and non-comedogenic, and it’s 100 percent breathable. The silky, non-drying powder delivers full, flawless coverage and is clinically shown to improve skin clarity, reduce the look of pore size, and control shine. It’s available in multiple shades—from the fairest porcelain to the deepest cocoa for all skintones.

PÜR

Bare It All 12-Hour 4-In-1 Skin-Perfecting Foundation is this high-performance, 12-hour, demi-matte foundation that helps to cover imperfections and instantly perfect the skin while helping to correct problem areas over time so you can confidently bare it all. Designed for face and body and formulated with PÜR’s proprietary Energy Complex and Ceretin Complex, this formula renews the look of your skin and goes the distance.

PÜR foundation is great, the only thing which is a major thing is that they don’t have a wide variety of shades. It is very limited. I use the shade deeper which I believe is the deepest shade that they have and use it as a concealer sometimes.

I use these foundations during the day since it’s lightweight and incredibly moisturizing. My skin is always left looking glowy, flawless and fresh, which is exactly how you should feel (and look) after using a good foundation.