4th of July Look

Hey Ladies,
Here in Alabama it is insanely hot like record setting hot. For most people that work inside they haven't really had to endure this heat through the week until they leave work to get into the car. Since the 4th of July is on a Wednesday this year I know that a lot of people are going to be celebrating this weekend at outdoor BBQ's with friends and family. I want to walk you through a few steps to keeping yourself looked party ready and put together during this very hot season.

First of all when thinking about makeup you should always begin with a sunscreen. I would recommend an SPF 30 or higher.  I would apply a light weight primer to keep on any foundation that you want to apply. In the summer I know it is very hard for me to apply a heavy foundation so if you are like me then you can go two ways; the first way would to create a very dewy look with a tinted moisturizer, cream blush, and a light powder on the T-zone.  The other way you could go is using matte products such a BB cream that has a matte finish (Smashbox BB cream) matte blush, and the press and roll method with a loose powder to soak up any excess makeup and ensuring staying power. The reason I like the dewy method is because if you are going to be outside you will be sweating glistening so your makeup will still look intact even if you are glistening because your makeup already puts off a dewy finish. The other matte route will also work if you don't "glisten" much out in the heat and this will also keep you looking flawless. Make sure to use the press and roll method with a mattifying powder to ensure the staying power. Either option is up to you and your preference.  Now that your face is put together you will need to choose a nice eye and lip look.  For the more dewy look, first apply an eye primer so that you don't seat off your eye shadow.  I would use a shiny gold shadow or a cream shadow topped with a powder shadow of long wear.  Using a waterproof black eyeliner to define the top and possibly bottom of your eye and a water proof mascara. I usually don't recommend waterproof but with as hot as it has been outside the last thing you will want is black eye makeup dripping down your face.  For a matte look start with a primer and then using a champagne shade in the inner corner and a taupe shade all over the lid to give definition without looking too made up for an outdoor BBQ.  I would top the upper lid with a black waterproof eyeliner and a couple coats of water proof mascara. For your lips I would choose a Revlon Kissable Balm Stain, these are just simply awesome, when you first put them on they give off a little shine but then as you wear them and eat and drink the shine goes away but you still have a little color stain left on the lips which will work well with either a matte or dewy look. I would also consider choosing one of the brighter colors because I have noticed that these will leave more color on the lips after the shine has gone. I actually am fond of the red shades and being that it is Independence day a nice red would really finish the look.

Now one last thing because I want you to have a complete look.  Hair is important when thinking of an entire Independence Day look. If you style your hair to wear down and you are going to be outdoors about 15 minutes after you arrive at a BBQ most likely your hair will be a big mess and will be nicely piled on top of your head in a big messy bun thing. Well why not style your hair up to begin with.  I am no hairstylist but a nice side braid or a pretty pony will surely do the trick to beat the heat. I would definitely check out Kate from the www.thesmallthingsblog.com she has super awesome styles and video tutorials on exactly how to accomplish any of her hairstyles.

I hope everyone enjoy's their 4th of July BBQ's, parties and fireworks. Please be safe and remember to drink responsibly :)

Let's Try This Again

Ahh my week has been rather crazy but on Monday I sat down and wrote out a little post about different things and makeup I had been trying and all sorts of little ramblings about life and well when I went to push the publish button the post was conveniently inconveniently deleted, never to be seen again.  It was a truly sad moment as I have been finding it very hard to post lately! 

Anyway lets move on to the more important things in life MAKEUP! You know that fun little thing that you get pure enjoyment out of everyday. Hmm maybe. This summer I have been very guilty of not applying makeup 5 of the 7 days out of the week. If I am going out with friends or just feel like getting myself looking nice then I obviously apply. I have as of late been having a real problem applying foundation, concealer, eye liner, shadow, and powder and I think it has to do with the fact that it is 100 degrees here in Alabama. If I do apply something it is usually just Tinted Moisturizer which has been working well for me. I do like my NYX foundation but I really think that is better saved for winter and if they could do something about all the fragrance in their products that would be great!
I have had a pretty busy month I must say it seems like more people are needing my makeup services and have been telling their friends which I really appreciate very very much because without clients I wouldn't be able to enjoy working so much.  Last night I did a tutorial class with three women who were interested in a Real Housewives inspired look of course only one of them wanted all the drama the other two preferred a toned down Housewives look so I was more than happy to tailor the makeup to each of their personalities. They were really awesome to teach and they seemed to really get the looks and how to apply it later on themselves which is the key of a whole tutorial.  I am still wanting to have more classes but I want to figure out the best way to teach them. I want people to have the knowledge but also feel like they can really do the steps to create the look. I'm sure the perfect way to accomplish this is by trying out different styles of teaching and see what the best way is.

In other news I have found a couple of products that I have been really loving and they are drugstore well Ulta I have never actually seen them in a real drugstore but Essence is a great brand and they have a wonderful Gel Eye Liner for $2.99 that is beyond wonderful it stays on and it lasts oh and it flake so it won't irritate your eyes, the one I have is jet black and its beautiful on.  The other product is also by Essence and it is a cream shadow it is called Copy Right and it is a bronzed color that I have really been enjoying under a bronzed powder shadow (LOVE).   I got the latest Ulta advertisement yesterday and there is a whole lot of drugstore brands coming out with BB creams and I can't wait to try them out. I tried the Garnier one but not long enough to give it a good review the simple truth is that is wasn't for me.  It was very shiny almost and it has way too much fragrance that irritated my skin.  I think it looks very pretty in the packaging but it wasn't a true BB cream which is supposed to actually offer more coverage than a tinted moisturizer and also dry down to more of a matte finish.  I am hoping the new ones by Maybeline and Loreal are good. I would like a drugstore version of the Smashbox BB cream without the $40 price tag. That is a lot by my standards for a light weight foundation.  Also in September one of my favorites Bare Minerals will be launching a new foundation  (they hate the f-word).  I am almost positive it will be pressed and better for travel but I'm not sure it will be a better foundation some of the "Ready" products aren't as good as their loose counter parts.  I really like the matte foundation and I may go back to it once I'm done using up some of the other foundations I currently have. I will hope for the best since I really do like Bare Minerals and a pressed foundation would be a lot easier than the loose stuff.

Well thats all the new stuff I have for today, I am really hoping to schedule some more great clients for July and have an equally busy month.

<3 

Hello Friends,
I must say it has been way too long since I have posted. You know how when you get back from vacation your routine before vacation is all of a sudden ruined well thats how it has been around my house times 3. Anyway it took me awhile to finally get back into the swing of things and I must say I am still not all the way back. Right now my workout is taking a backseat to getting a blog post up and cooking/baking for the week. I never like to skip a workout but there just aren't enough hours in the day sometimes.
 Moving on, I have been really working hard the last couple of weeks with different clients and it has been wonderful I missed working and I always love to meet new people and experiment with different styles.  Last weekend I had this fabulous mom that wanted to do a refresher tutorial and it was awesome it was more like hanging out with a girlfriend then work and I hope she learned a lot as well! Which then gave me an idea of having a class possibly at my house where I would teach a 1 hour course on the basics of applying makeup for the busy mom or even busy professional. I see all the time where photographers offer classes for moms who just want to learn how to use their DSLR cameras so why not do the same thing with makeup. I can't tell you how many times I see mothers out at the store or in public and they look so sloppy but honestly makeup and putting yourself together doesn't have to require an hour of your time. In a few minutes you could look polished and tidy. I'm thinking about doing that class maybe later in the summer if I get a good response, it would also be great for back to school and how to get yourself out the door quickly.

I also worked on a couple of other lovely clients on Saturday one in the morning then one in the evening with a child's birthday party in between. I am telling you I know secrets to making the most of my time. I'll be back to posting regularly as things are calming down and we are able to relax more. 

Working on Michelle's Bridesmaid makeup. She makes my job easy with that gorgeous skin. 

This picture of me and Evelyn was from the birthday party we went to in between my clients

This lovely couple had a photo shoot with Caught You On Camera 

and I was very excited to do Jennifer's makeup for her pictures. 

Patent Leather and Lace Pictures

Hey Everyone,

A little over a month ago I posted about a boudoir shoot I worked on with Caught You On Camera and what fun it was and today I have images from the shoot. I was so excited to get them as they were a surprise to her new husband which is why I couldn't share them with you earlier. All the pictures came out so beautiful and if you follow me on Facebook then you have probably seen a few of them. As you may remember I was inspired by January Jones' Marie Clair cover. I was also very excited to see that everything came out beautifully and so classic of Caught You On Camera's style. 

Like what you see and want to schedule a boudoir shoot contact Whitney with Caught You On Camera. You can find her on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/Caughtyouoncamera or visit her website http://caughtyouoncamera.com/.


Don't forget to "Like" my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Beauty-Faces

A picture is worth a 1000 words

Finally, I am getting around to posting these pictures of Megan Cotton's wedding! I had such a great time with this bride and all of her bridesmaids. Whitney @ Caught You On Camera took some excellent pictures. I really like the ones of my brushes too very good for future promotional use. 

10 Things

10 Things

1. It's Friday, bring on the weekend!!! 

2. Last night I made 3 meals and 2 desserts in an hour and half. Planning is key in my house. 

3. Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo! Mexican Food is the best

4. My arms, shoulders, abs, legs, are sore from Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 Week 4 workout! 

5. Speaking of workouts, it has been almost 3 months since I started working out. One of the best decisions I have made for myself. 

6. I don't consider eating healthy as a diet but a life style change. 

7. Skincare is vital and if you don't take care of your skin it won't love you back when your older. 

8. 12 days til I go back to the beach with "The Family" and I get to see my nephews :) 

9. I need more makeup consults/appointments, I love working with people so where are all my awesome clients hiding? hehe 

10. Our neighborhood pool is finally open! 

Simple Skincare

Hey Everyone,

I want to share my review on Simple Skincare. As most of you know I have normal/combo skin type but in addition it is also very sensitive. I have a hard time finding skincare products that are not irritating to my skin. In the past I have used the high end brand Kinerase, when I got it at a deep discount or sometimes free.  These days $33 for cleanser and $110 for moisturizer at full retail just isn't in my beauty budget.  Since I finished my last deep discounted bottle of Kinerase cleanser and moisturizer, I have been searching for a replacement. Until now I haven't had any luck with drugstore brands and even some moderately priced high end brands.

I first heard about Simple Skincare on tv commercial. They claimed to be the #1 skincare line in the UK and that they were perfect for sensitive skin. The company claims their products were the first cleanser in the UK to not have dyes, artificial fragrance, or other harsh skin irritants. For me this is a selling point. Anything that has fragrance usually dries out my skin or irritates my skin. I decided to pick up the cleansing cloths (I'm lazy at night) and the Hydrating Light Moisturizer. I like for my moisturizer to be light and breathable especially in the Spring in Summer months when my skin tends to be a bit more temperamental.

Let's talk about the important stuff: INGREGIDENTS!!
We all know that companies can claim what they want on the packaging but just like food you really have to look at the back at the ingredients and facts to see if what the company claims is actually true. In cleansing clothes I always look to see if one of the ingredients is alcohol if it is, it immediately goes back on the shelf.  I already know this will irritate my skin and most skin types. The other thing I look for is if the products have oil or mineral oil in them. I do not tolerate mineral oil or botanical oils well at all. Looking on the back of the packaging I didn't find any mineral oil. I did see that it had Cetearyl Alcohol (Emulsifier).  I really was considering putting this product back on the shelf. I don't like to see alcohol of any kind in facial products but I went against my own rules and got it anyway to see if it would effect my skin. The moisturizer didn't have alcohol and had pretty basic ingredients that I didn't think my skin would react with. 

The trial began 2 weeks ago now and I have been using these wipes and moisturizer every day to clean and moisturize my face. I can honestly say that I have no had a reaction at all to either of the two products that I tested. These products have been by far the best drugstore brand I have tried and I will continue to purchase these products for my very sensitive skin. I love that they are fragrance free since that is usually where alcohol comes into play in skincare. My skin doesn't tolerate most fragrance mainly in facial products.  I have had great luck with these products and would definitely recommend them to others. If you are looking for a new drugstore skincare brand I really felt that Simple Skincare lived up to its name and was great for my sensitive skin.