Day: October 13, 2021

A new season is upon us, and I love transitioning my makeup from summer to fall with a few of my favorites from Sephora.

I’m no stranger to bright pink lipstick. A few of my favorites are Charlotte Tilbury Liv It Up, or Bobbi Brown Pink Cloud. But in the fall, I like to shift into more of a rosy shade for my everyday lipstick. I was browsing Sephora’s website recently, which is one of my favorite ways to kill time, and I found myself adding a handful of new items to my cart.

Make Up For Ever recently launched the Rouge Artist Lipstick and I ordered Brazen Pink and Brave Punch. They are similar but one is a little bit more on the cool side. I find myself switching off between the two pretty regularly, and the longevity of wear without it feeling dry on my lips is fantastic. If you are looking for a comfortable lipstick, I would definitely look into these!

I rely heavily on my Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray to keep my makeup in place during the exceptionally humid summers in North Carolina, but when the humidity goes down I find myself wanting a slightly more glowy setting spray. You can imagine how thrilled I was when I saw that Urban Decay launched a GLOWY finish to their cult-favorite All Nighter Setting Spray. I recently purchased it as well as the Ultra Glow All Nighter Primer. These two together are what glowy, long-lasting makeup dreams are made of.

There is a fine line between looking shiny or oily, and looking dewy and hydrated and the Urban Decay Ultra Glow All Nighter Setting Spray gives the prettiest finish to the skin while keeping your makeup intact.

If you like a setting powder, but also want a glow, I would highly recommend the Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder Glow. It sets your makeup while adding a slight glow and warmth to the skin.

The last product that I keep reaching for is the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Push Up Lashes Volumizing & Lengthening Mascara. I don’t think I’ve ever used a mascara that fans out my lashes this well. It takes a few coats to build a bit of volume, but it applies very clean and leaves you with the prettiest, flirtiest lashes.

Whether you are restocking some of your favorites or looking for some new additions to your makeup bag for the new season, sign up to be a Beauty Insider first! You earn points that you can use on samples, are let in on details about promotions (and more!). It’s totally free to sign up, and it’s the easiest way to get the biggest bang for your buck when you’re already shopping at Sephora!

This post was sponsored by Sephora.

Rounding up some long time loves + new favorites in this beauty favorites video! 

Products Featured in Video:

Marc Jacobs Beauty O!Mega Bronzer Coconut Perfect Tan in Tan-Tastic!

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder

Patrick Ta Major Beauty Headlines -Double Take Creme and Powder Blush in She’s That Girl

Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Match Stix Matte Contour Skinstick in Amber

Hourglass Unlocked Instant Extensions Lengthening Mascara

Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Push Up Lashes Volumizing and Lengthening Mascara

Grande Cosmetics GrandPRIMER Pre-Mascara Lengethener & Thickener

ONE/SIZE by Patrick Starrr Go Off Makeup Remover Wipes

Fresh Sake Eau de Parfum

Bumble and Bumble Glow Blow Dry Accelerator

Bumble and Bumble Pret-a-Powder Post Workout Dry Shampoo Mist

Becca Under Eye Corrector in Light/Medium

Virtue Healing Oil

Virtue Create Lifting Powder

Laneige Lip Glowy Balm

Also mentioned:

Flora by Gucci – Gorgeous Gardenia

Amika Hair Blow Dryer Brush

I love makeup. I genuinely look forward to sitting down at my vanity and doing my makeup, from quick basics (brows, concealer, blush) for a Saturday morning, to a full face of makeup using long time loves or brand new products I’m testing out.

It just thrills me. I remember playing with my mom’s makeup as a kid, specifically her bolder lipsticks. I would also raid her nail polish collection and I remember using a deep grape color on my fingernails very regularly.

The combination of my natural interest, as well as being influenced by how my mom approached beauty, led to my knowledge and experience in developing a few different makeup routines that I feel confident in!

I can imagine, with ease, how overwhelming it could feel to build a makeup kit if you don’t know how to start. Maybe you don’t really love trying new products? Or perhaps you didn’t have anyone in your life to teach you some makeup basics? While I’ve shared a slew of tutorials, demos, product testing, and beauty favorites videos on the internet for 10 years, I wanted to spend a bit of time today discussing some essential products for a makeup kit and how to build out from the basics.

Sephora, one of my very very favorite places to shop for all things beauty is running an event with savings between 8/14-8/23/2020. You have to be a Beauty Insider (it’s totally free to sign up!) and you’ll get access to $15 off of $75 OR $20 off of $100! The code is “WELCOMEBACK” which you can enter online at check out, or use in-store if your nearest Sephora store is open (click here to find a store near you and see it’s open!). The code can be used once online, and multiple times in store!

Makeup should make you feel great, it should highlight your natural beauty, and tap into your creativity as well.

The person I have in mind when writing this post is someone who is interested in makeup, enjoys the process, and is looking to have some solid foundational products off which to build a solid kit. Someone with a more minimalist approach to beauty may find this to be too many products, so know that I would approach a minimalist or “clean” kit from a completely different angle!

Essential Makeup Products for a Classic Makeup Kit:

Foundational Products: foundation, concealer, blush, mascara

Essential Additions: brow products, eyeshadow, bronzer, lip color

Extras: setting powder (or spray), contour, highlight, eyeliner, lip gloss, mascara primer

Below are a few specific recommendations for each category:

Foundation: I prefer a liquid but there are certainly plenty of options out there! From loose powders to creams, look for a foundation that gives you the coverage and final effect you desire. Generally, I prefer a medium coverage because I can apply two layers if I want more coverage, but my daily go-to choice is usually one layer to even out my skin but still allow my freckles to show through.

Concealer: Try to stick fairly close to your skin color for concealer, instead of going too light in an effort to counteract skin darkness. You’d be better off using a corrector instead of choosing a concealer color that is too light. Something with a natural finish is going to look more natural under the eyes instead of something with a matte finish.

Blush: Cream blush is my very favorite at the moment because of how natural and radiant it looks on the skin. Powder can certainly be a beautiful choice, but more often than not I’m reaching for my cream blushes.

Mascara: I like a clean finish, extra length, and a really dark black color.

Brow products: This could be anything from a clear gel to a pencil. I prefer using a pencil to fill in my brows as I have very little to work with on their own.

Eyeshadow: Like blush, I’m loving cream eyeshadow. Anything from a crayon applicator is easy to apply and can be blended in simply with your finger.

Bronzer: Using a bronzer is the quickest way to add warmth and glow to your face.

Lip color: A simple balm with a touch of color or even a fully pigmented lipstick goes a long way in your face looking complete!

Setting Powder: Either powder or a setting spray is essential to “preserving” all your hard makeup work!

Contour & Highlight: This is something that I do every day and goes a really long way in restoring the angles and variation in the planes on my face instead of it looking flattened out by foundation.

Eyeliner: Adds depth and definition to your eyes, can be used to minimize large eyes, or add definition and width to smaller eyes!

Lip Gloss: This is a product I could live without, but it’s a nice option for fuller-looking lips!

Mascara Primer: This is definitely in the extra category, but I have to say it’s slowly becoming essential for me! It helps add thickness and length to your eyelashes, and that goes a long way!

I shot a step-by-step of my go-to makeup routine lately. I thought it may be helpful to see how each of the products transforms my face! You can find links to everything at the very bottom of this post.

To begin: Here is my face with Ole Henricksen Banana Bright Vitamin C Serum, Biossance Squalane + Marine Algae Eye Cream, and Bobbi Brown Extra Repair Moisture Cream.

Next up is Laura Mercier Hydrating Foundation Primer.

I’ve been loving Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk for a medium, natural-looking foundation. I prefer to apply with a brush.

Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Away Concealer in shade 3 is the best match, but I’m using up the rest of shade 2 in this demo.

I always set my under eye concealer with Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder for Under Eyes. It keeps creases at bay and prevents dark smearing from mascara or eyeliner.

I love the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz pencil in Taupe or Blonde.

One of my favorite cream eyeshadows is Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eyeshadow in Au Natural. I used a light hand for this application but it could easily be applied more heavily for a deeper color pay off.

For the crease, the Laura Mercier matte eyeshadow in Cashmere.

My favorite dark black eyeliner is Charlotte Tilbury Rock N’ Kohl eyeliner in Bedroom Black.

This pre-mascara Lengthener and Thickener by Grande Lash makes a huge difference in how my mascara wears! Game-changer!

I’ve been loving the impact of Hourglass’s new Unlocked Mascara. I mean, one swipe and you have thickness and length! It doesn’t smudge, and it adds some serious definition to your lashes.

For contour, I’ve been testing the Fenty Beauty Match Stix Matte Contour stick in Amber. It’s a true matte with a neutral undertone and it adds the perfect shadow under my cheekbones. I use contour sparingly and with a light hand.

A new bronzer I’m enjoying is the Marc Jacobs O!Mega Bronzer in Coconut Perfect Tan. I love that it is matte and shade 104 is a nice tan color for lighter skin tones.

The Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder in Medium (2) is a beautiful powder to set my makeup. It blurs any imperfections before my very eyes and evens out my face nicely.

The Patrick Ta Major Beauty Headlines Double Take Creme & Powder Blush is the best of both worlds in one single compact! I love each of the products individually, but together the blush is long-lasting and the prettiest pink!

It’s hot and humid where I live so it’s vital to set my makeup with Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray. This spray works so well to fight against makeup smudging or melting off in extreme heat and humidity.

And finally, I finish with a pink nude lipstick by Bobbi Brown (since the blush was strong I didn’t want too pink of a color on my lips!).

This routine is my go-to for workdays or anytime I want to apply makeup “on autopilot”. I know the colors that work for me, and I know I’m going to like the final result!

Like I mentioned earlier, now is a great time to either stock up on favorites or expand your makeup kit during this Sephora event! The code is “WELCOMEBACK” in honor of some stores being open (again click here to see if yours is!) and it can be used online or in-store.

Click on any of the images below to shop the products I mentioned!

This post was sponsored by Sephora.

Nothing excites me more on the makeup front these days than a cream blush. I’ve been singing the praises of cream blush for months (years maybe?) because it just lasts so much longer on the skin and looks like a natural flush. I tend to be heavy-handed with my blush and cream blush allows me to get the depth of pigment I want with a finish that matches a medium coverage, natural finish foundation.

To break it down, since I prefer lightweight foundations these days, I like a blush that blends well with the finish of a natural-looking foundation. Conversely, when I used to prefer a full coverage makeup look, powder blush was able to give me the color I wanted with a flawless, matte finish!

My most used blushes these days are pictured above, with the Patrick Ta duo being one of my very favorites.

NARS Liquid Blush in Orgasm. This is liquid, not cream, but since it isn’t a powder, I thought I’d include it in here anyway. I like to dot a little bit of it onto the back of my hand, then press a brush into the liquid. I’ll blend it onto my cheeks with a brush. I’ve used my fingers to apply as well, but I prefer the finish of a brush!

FENTY BEAUTY Cheeks Out Cream Blush in Strawberry Drip and Crush on Cupid. These were a discovery after seeing them on a beauty YouTuber. I love the formula and at $20 each, I find them to be a good price compared to the other two brands I have in the photo. I use a brush to apply with these blushes as well! They are pigmented and bright, and truly a great option, especially if you have a darker complexion or skin tone.

Patrick Ta Double Take Creme and Powder Blush. This has been my go-to since I received it in a mailer from Sephora (since I’m a part of the #SephoraSquad, I sometimes receive gifted products). I have the shade “That Girl” which is what I certainly would have chosen if I bought it for myself. The creme part of the duo is easy to apply, and similar in texture to the Fenty Cheeks Out blushes, and the powder blush is pigmented and sets so nicely into the creme. I like to use the same brush for applying both. It’s easy to get a great amount of color and pigment from this blush duo, and I love that you can also use each side individually.

 

Curious about makeup brushes? Read this post!

People often complain that they tend to gain back all the weight that they have lost once they come off their diet plan and research has proven that it happens to 90% of the people who successfully managed to get lean through dieting. So, is there no point in dieting to lose weight? Yes, diet and exercise would help you lose weight but the real issue – are you following the right kind of diet? In this post, we will try to explore various factors that contribute to bouncing back of weight and find answers to this question, “why do you gain weight back after you stop dieting.?” So, without further ado, let us get started:

1. Being on a Unsustainable Diet: Fad diets that take you off almost every kind of food are not sustainable and though get you results, you would most probably gain all the extra pounds back too quickly. There are some diets that are totally unsustainable and unrealistic, and most of the extra baggage you lose is water weight. Severe food restrictions, food deprivation can all create cravings and once you are off the diet, you would gain a lot more weight than before. So, to lose weight and keep it off, you need to follow a good diet program such as the Rati Beauty diet, which keeps you on the right kind of food and helps you make lifestyle changes, without starving or food deprivation, so that you can stay lean forever. Download the Rati Beauty app for more details.

2. Living a Sedentary Lifestyle: Dieting won’t do you much good if you lead a lazy and sedentary lifestyle. And by sedentary lifestyle, we mean physical inactivity for most part of the day. It is not at all healthy or advisable nor should it be in practice. Working out in the gym for one hour and then sitting at the work desk for the rest of the day, will undo all your efforts. Once you have lost weight, you should increase your exercise routine and activity level to maintain the current weight. Jogging and morning walks come highly recommended. Yoga and aerobic exercises also help to keep off the weight. Surya namaskar, which is a cluster of several yogasanas, boost metabolism and keep your whole body active.

3. Count Macros: This is a really effective and scientifically approved method of ensuring that one does not gain excessive weight, especially after suspension of a strict dietary regime. It ensures that the body gets the full nourishment it needs to function properly while at the same time, guaranteeing the body does not bounce to its original weight. Always practice portion control and make mindful eating a part of your lifestyle.

4. Stress is the Villain: Stress can prevent you from losing weight and accelerate the speed at which you can gain back weight. If you do not reduce stress levels, you always run the risk of gaining extra pounds and the leading reason behind that is – post suspension of diet – you become a victim of stress eating. Stress eating is a strict no no if one is serious about staying fit and slim. Stress also increases the level of cortisol. The disruption of cortisol not only aids in weight gain, it also encourages the body to store fat around the abdominal area. Read about “10 Tips to Lower Stress in order to Lose Weight.”

5. Lack of proper sleep: Insufficient sleep is one of the leading reasons for weight gain. And it might come as a surprise but for those who have been on a weight loss diet, post suspension of the diet, they are far more prone to regain the lost kilos if they are sleep deprived. Importantly, it’s really difficult to lose weight without 8 hours of proper sleep. Sleep deprivation lowers our metabolic rate to such a great degree that almost anything we eat gets stored up as fat in our body and that compounds to added weight. So, it is advisable to get good sleep especially after one stops dieting if one wishes not to regain those lost pounds.

So, these were the 5 most common factors that lead to weight gain post dieting.

10 Tips to Lower Stress in order to Lose Weight
15 Surprising Reasons How Your Home is Making you Gain Weight

The post 5 Reasons you Can Gain Weight Back After you Stop Dieting appeared first on Makeupandbeauty.com.