On a "good skin day" makeup *Face*

Hello Beauties,

On a good skin day, which is actually pretty often in the summer time I really like to let my skin show through, putting off a more radiant glow rather than a matte face.  This is a perfect combination of "good day skin".  The Garnier BB cream in COMBINATION to OILY is really great and like a completely different product to the original.  I really wasn't a fan of the original so when this one came out I was skeptical but it really is good stuff and dries down to more of a satin finish which is so nice for summer.  I bought mine at Wal-Mart because they sell the Medium to Dark shade and a Deep tone. Also as always if you try it and you decide it is not for you, you can take it back for a refund.  I have never had a problem returning makeup at any of the stores I recommend so don't waste your money on products that don't work for you.

Now the Mac Pro Longwear Concealer is great, it will NOT crease, apparently it is made with non-creasing technology? Anyway I like it, it is perfect for under the eyes, you can replace your eye primer with this stuff, and you can use it to cover blemishes.  You really don't need much at all, less than a pump will cover everything perfectly.  Try it out, you will probably fall in love! 

For me I don't set this with powder, I will spray a little setting spray like Urban Decay's All Nighter, or NYX Dewy Setting Spray and it stays all day without moving.  If you HAVE to powder then I advise only powdering your T-Zone that way you still have that natural skin appearance instead of a matte, powdery look. 

Come back tomorrow to see what I recommend for eyes, lips and cheeks to compliment your "good skin makeup". 

<3 Amanda 

Bits and Bobs

1. RIP Talia Joy, you were truly an awesome person to watch on YouTube and I will miss you

2. Lots of new business for Beauty Faces MUA :) 

3. My website will be launching very soon, FINALLY.

4. I have nearly read the entire Maskcara Blog

5.  My BFF is nearly due to have her baby!!! I can't wait :) 

good skin day

good skin day by manndapannda07 featuring a garnier skin care

Sunday Reading

Hey Beauties,
I spent all day Sunday reading a new blog that I am absolutely in LOVE with it is called MaskCara. To say that she is a blogger genius is maybe an understatement.  She has a great way of really sucking you in because she is just so darn relatable.  I feel like we could be best friends which is probably why I have been so hooked on her blog.  She wrote something that I thought rang so true with me the way she goes about buying new products which is EXACTLY the way I do it.  She said that when she hears about a new product she researches it thoroughly, reads reviews, and then goes to Sephora to test it out, then gets a sample to take home then tries it as long as a sample will last and then if she really feels like she can't live without it then she will return back to the store to buy it.  This is my process,  I have never been able to buy anything expensive haphazardly ever.  I get buyers remorse almost instantly if I just throw money away on a product that I'm not sure about.  Do you go through this same process? I thought I was the only girl in Sephora ever asking for a sample and reading a million reviews.  When you finally do buy the product and then maybe it isn't what you want, do you return the item? I always do if it isn't exactly what I was looking for even after all the trying.  The way I see it products are expensive and if it isn't exactly the perfect thing for me then I'm wasting the money I could have spent on something better suited for me.  My absolute favorite thing is to find collection sets or pallets because if it has one item that I know I want and then you get to try out a lot of different other products for the price you would pay for the one product you wanted.  QVC often has special values that are so nice because of all the products you get to try,  you don't have to tune into the demo all you have to do is jump on their website and order...kinda nice eh?

Anyway after reading all day yesterday I find myself wanting so many different and new products that I had never really looked into before.  After hearing such amazing things about Stila's In the Light Palette it is definitely jumping to the front of my list of products to test out.  It looks perfect for bridal so that is a big bonus.

check out Maskcara at www.maskcara.com it really is worth the read!

<3 Amanda

Streak FREE Nails

Hello Beauties, 

How was your weekend? Mine was lovely and very relaxing. I picked up a few of those eyeliners from the Ulta sale.  While I generally enjoy Ulta their employees are sometimes hard to handle, they are a little on the gruff side, have you experienced that at Ulta? Anyway I like my eyeliners so I'm happy about that.  

On with today's post, I was recently reading MakeupbyTiffanyD's blog and she wrote about how to achieve streak free nails with those lighter color nail polishes.  I find that even the best white, pale pink, and lavender nail polishes always get streaky and no matter how many coats you put it just never looks completely opaque even with a base coat.  MakeupbyTiffanyD suggested putting one coat of your light color nail polish then one coat of a Matte Top coat wait a few seconds and apply a second coat of polish and finish with a fast dry, high shine top coat.  The matte coat seems to keep the streaks away without effecting the high shine.  I tried it out and it works so wonderfully,  you can use whatever matte top coat you choose.  If you want to try it out with a cheap option try NYC Matte Me Crazy,  it works just as well as the Essie brand and it is only $1.72.  I love the way this looks, you would never know they weren't done professionally. 

Do you have any nail tips/tricks that make your DIY manicure easier? 

To see the full blog post over on MakeupbyTiffanyD go here: 

 http://makeupbytiffanyd.blogspot.com/2013/07/get-perfect-nails-my-easy-manicure.html

Have a Beautyful Day! 

Happy Independence Day + Setting Goals

Hello Beauties,

I hope you all had a beautyful 4TH! It was very rainy and not all that nice in general here in Alabama. We still managed a lot of relaxing, doing as little as possible, and having a great time with our family.  I originally had a whole makeup and outfit look planned out that I was going to post a picture of on facebook but because of the rain I decided not to go with it. I do plan a makeup haul soon, and I'm counting down the days until my new hair extensions get here, I ordered from glamtimehair.com, they are shipping from the UK so they take a little while to get to me but I had the time to wait.  I'm sure you will be hearing a lot about these in future posts, I hope it is good things!

Also on the 4th my husband and I set a few personal goals or just goals in general, how we want the next six months until the end of the year to go.  Last year he was working toward a career change and you know it happened last November and I remember mine was to incorporate harder workouts into my daily routine and I started and completed P90X.  This year we decided to do the same sort of thing as we were having breakfast we were discussing where we would like to be by the end of the year, my husband is studying for a big IT certification and he's hoping to take the test by the end of the year.  It is a big test that takes six hours to complete so it is a big undertaking but he hopes to be ready by November.  Then he asked me what my goal was and I thought about about it for .5 of a second and said I would love for Beauty Faces to become full time, build it into my career because it what I really love and it provides me with the flexibility to be with my daughter.  I absolutely love working with my clients, I feel honored when they have chosen me to be apart of their wedding or for a photography session.  It is such a special feeling when you are with the bride moments before she walks down the aisle and she's so happy to be starting a new life with the man she loves.  I love being there for all of that, and if I could enjoy that moment for the next 20 years I would be more than happy to do so.  Therefore,  my goal is to work harder, gain more clients, and build my business up even more.  This summer has been amazing so far and I just want to keep up the momentum.  I know if we work hard enough our goals will become reality.

Do you set goals on the 4th? What are some of your goals you have set for yourself?

Have a Beautyful Day! 

Would you rather?

I thought this would be just a fun post to do.  I think it may have been a tag awhile back but I haven't seen anyone do it in awhile so I thought this would be a good revival.

Imagine if you could only have one item over the other which would you choose?

1. Would you rather have foundation or concealer?

2. Would you rather have mascara or eye liner?

3. Would you rather have eyeshadow or an eye brow powder (pencil)?

4. Would you rather have blush or bronzer?

5. Would you rather have lipstick or lip balm?

6.  Would you rather have primer or moisturizer?

7. Would you rather have brushes or disposable sponges?

8. Would you rather have finishing powder or setting spray?

9. Would you rather have a hair brush or a hair tie?

10.  Would you rather have sunscreen or self tanner?


Now these are my answers, I hope you'll play along and leave your responses in the comment section!

1. Foundation, I can pack on foundation a little heavier in areas I need it more.

2. Eye Liner,  My lashes are long and black so I prefer eyeliner to add definition.

3. Eye Shadow, although that one is tricky for me since I don't like the sparse areas on my brows.

4. Blush, I'm tan enough (hehe)

5.  Lip Balm,  I can't stand for my lips to feel dry.

6. Moisturizer, I rarely need primer so it is something I can live without.

7. Brushes,  Sponges are great but I like to wear mineral makeup and I would need a brush for even application.

8.  Setting Spray, it really helps your makeup to last a long time and doesn't get cakey.

9. Hair tie,  I think I can rake my hair with my fingers but I don't know if I could deal with my hair in my face on those bad hair days.

10. Sun screen,  I really like to protect my skin against the harsh summer sun.

Bits and Bobs 

1. Singer Electric scissors are pretty amazing. 

2. Is anyone having trouble leaving a comment via mobile device? 

3. I keep seeing loads of pregnant women, they all look so cute + new babies are always awesome.

4. How are you beating the heat? Personally I've been relaxing indoors. 

5. Hot rollers are so good on second day hair when you want to be lazy. :) 

Would you rather? by manndapannda07 featuring mac cosmetics

Why You Should Hire a Makeup Artist

Do you have a big event coming up? wedding? special photography session? Well I'd like to cover the reasons why you should hire a makeup artist for these occasions.  Most people think the day of their special occasion they will be cool as a cucumber and be able to do their own makeup and hair without missing a beat.  Lets just say that when you want to look absolutely flawless we get so nervous we end up forgetting a crucial step and not looking our best. Lets face it, unless you are really great with makeup and hair it is worth going the extra mile on special occasions.

Lets cover special events first, what type of event are you going to? Themed Party or Wedding? In these types of events you want to have your makeup match the event.  If you are going to be attending a 20s inspired wedding you may need to dress the part.  You may not have the skills to recreate a 1920's flapper look but a makeup artist will have the knowledge, skills, and education to create the perfect look customized for you.

Choosing the right makeup artist can be a bit tricky, you want to choose the right artist for your personal style and personality.  I always suggest having several e-mail conversations, and having a trial with the artist before your big event. By having a trial you can test out the makeup artist's skills and get to know each other, for brides this is a MUST. I advise having a trial at least one month in advance. One month in advance is still enough time to find another artist incase you don't quite mesh with the person you've had a trial with or if you'd like to try a different look for your big day.  In a trial you must give the artist the chance to express her creativity with all of your ideas combined.  If an artist is unwilling to consider an idea without explanation, you may not be happy on your big day, but an artist should always try their best to work with you.

Get it in writing! After the trial and the bride or client decides she wants to hire me on for her big day I hand her an extensive contract so that we both know what is expected of each other.  We both sign and any additional ladies also having makeup done with me also sign a waiver for cosmetic allergies and photography.  My contract protects both my client and myself that way no matter how many e-mails have been exchanged we can both refer to this one document for what exactly is expected from both of us.

Although trials and hiring an artist can be expensive unless you are very skilled and won't be stressed doing your own makeup it is worth the expense to hire out.  Your makeup artist will help to calm you on the big day, be there to touch you up when you get emotional, and be there for your bridesmaids if you/they so choose.  In all of my weddings I offer a full days service complete with touchups so that everyone looks completely polished and cohesive.

Examples of brides I have worked on below. If you are interested in my services for a special event or wedding please contact me at beautyfaces01@gmail.com

Some of my lovely brides