How To Guide :
Here's a link to a how-to video for an everyday look. Click HERE.
Make-up, an invention for which we owe thanks to the ancient Egyptian and Romans, has the power to work miracles on women and men – so long as they find the right products and colors suitable for their skin color and skin type. It can make a world of difference if worn to enhance your natural beauty, but keep in mind, too much of a good thing can be bad. Wearing too much make up is just as bad, if not worse, than the unsightly bags under your eyes, embarrassing blemishes, and uneven skin tones.
The majority of women discover make-up, for the first time, at a very young age. Little girls will watch their mothers and sisters applying make-up, then want to get into it themselves! They'll play dress up or "house" pretending to be big. Around junior-high or puberty, girls start experimenting with make-up of their own. Raging hormones, greater awareness of self-image, and an increasing interests in fashion and the opposite sex, all contribute to the cosmetic appeals of teen and pre-teens. The first few years experimenting with makeup can be pretty terrible, but who cares. Its fun! I remember going for the sparkles, brightly colored mascaras and eye-liners, and the electric colored eye-shadows. I have always loved makeup.
Make-up can be so expressive. Everyday makeup should be natural looking and sophisticated, but for nights out, events, photoshoots, etc. the options are limitless. The cosmetic industry has exploded with new technology and advancements in skincare and make-up these last few years. They are embracing gender-neutral make-up, introducing make-up free of harsh chemicals and animal testing, and releasing new technology in multifunctional beauty devices aimed to make the skin look brighter and more firm. We live in a great time. Hopefully we'll all still look like we're in our 30s when were in our 70s due to these miracle inventions. (Wink!)
People's make-up preferences change with the introductions of new products, new styles, with the change in seasons, location, and with age. The cosmetics industry is a multi-trillion dollar industry with dozens of different brands and cosmetic lines. There are commercial lines like: Maybelline, Cover Girl, and L’Oreal, higher-end department store lines like: Clinique, Estee Lauder, and Lancôme, and designer lines like Gyvinchy, Chanel, and Dior. It doesn't matter which brand you prefer, it matters if it matches your skin tone, stays on all day without smudging or creasing, and that that it makes you feel good.
Today there are so many go-to places for make-up. Years ago, the only places to buy makeup and skincare were department stores, drug stores, and Sephora. Today, there are so many! There are a few more big retailers now, like Target, Blue Mercury, Ulta, Brownes & Co., Cos Bar, and more. Rumor has it that all make-up is made in the same factory. This is not true, but many make-up lines have similar chemical properties. The biggest differentiators lie in the chemical components, color options, marketing campaigns, and packaging.
Shopping for make-up can be overwhelming. There are dozens of brands begging for your attention with their glitzy packaging and promises to offer better coverage, easier application, and eternal youth. If you are willing to spend the money on higher end makeup, I suggest doing so for the products you are going to wear daily, like: foundation, concealer, powder, lipsticks, blushes and bronzers. Mascaras are pretty generic, the brushes, wands, and colors may vary, but drugstore and designer brand mascaras are basically the same.
Many women have an excess of make-up. Makeup that gets piled up in drawers and never worn. Most products do not come with an expiration date, but after three months, dermatologists advise throwing unused make-up into the trash. Now's the time to clean out those drawers! The preservatives chemists use to keep the product fresh, last approximately that long – after that, the liquids and powders risk bacteria growth that can cause acne or infection. Applicators need to be replaced weekly, and brushes should be cleaned often. If you are one the many women who carries make-up with them everywhere, take caution of the dirt and grime that may contaminate your cosmetics from within your purse by using a separate make-up bag or by carrying fresh applicators.
Eyes are usually the feature that attracts the most attention. We need several color options for eye shadows; lighter, more neutral colors for the daytime, different color options to match with outfits, or darker colors for more dramatic “after 5” eyes. Try to find compacts with several color options. Some beauty brands like Bobbi Brown and Stila sell compacts that allow you to build your own palates!
One habit plaguing our morning regiment is the issue of time. If you can shower, get dressed, and do your make-up in under an hour, you have mastered the routine, and deserve to be commended. If you take longer than an hour to get ready in the morning, there are few things to try to quicken the process. You should be able to transform yourself from bed-head to beauty in less than fifteen minutes. So, if you sleep through your alarm, are running from the office to a dinner party, or you are coming in off a flight and headed directly to an event, you need not fear looking dodgy. Quick fix beauty essentials to always keep on hand are bobbi-pins, mascara, lip-gloss, concealer, and a retractable blush/bronzer travel stick. Those few items can work miracles in mere minutes.
X,
Jess
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For a list of all the makeup used in the video, see below. You can find these items at the following retailers @sephora, @gucciwestman, @bluemercury @maccosmetics @Nordstrom
On Face:
* Supergoop! Glow Screen in SPF 40
* NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Light 2.3 Madeleine
* MAC Cosmetics Prep + Prime, Natural Radiance Base Limière
* DIOR BACKSTAGE Face & Body Foundation in 2N Neutral
* Westman Atelier Super Loaded Tint Highlight in Peau de Pêche
* Givenchy Healthy Glow Powder in 01 Première Saison
On Eyes:
* STILA Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner in “intense black”
* Too Faced Born This Way “The Natural Nudes”
* MAC Cosmetics Shape + Shade Brow Tint in “Lingering”
* CAUTION Extreme Lash Mascara in “ultra black”
On Cheeks:
* Bobbi Brown Shimmer Blush in “coral”
On Lips:
* Chantecaille Brilliant Gloss in “charm”
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