How to Cut Down Your Makeup Clutter

I’m a stickler for organization when it comes to my beauty products. Especially when I’m dealing with makeup and skincare that I use on a daily basis. I try to make sure that most of my items have a home, so that I don’t end up spending more time looking for my products than actually applying them. Check out how I cut down my makeup clutter no matter where I am!

At Home

I’m very into acrylic containers for makeup storage. It makes it so much easier to see what makeup that I do have and organize my collection of lipsticks accordingly. It’s also great to have aesthetic-wise for my dresser. I felt like my four makeup bags were taking up too much space on my dresser and was forgetting what makeup I even had in the first place since they were all just jumbled up together.

I’m so glad that I invested in these cosmetic organizers and it didn’t even break the bank either. The whole set, which included the lipstick organizer and drawers costs $20 at Bed, Bath & Beyond! You can also find these for a major steal at HomeGoods as well.

On the Go

I’m a major bag lady and will take things that I don’t even need with me when I'm running errands because in my head anything can happen. I mean you never know if your train will end up being delayed for two hours and you’ll be so happy that you brought those five magazines with you to pass the time. However, I only carry a few makeup items with me when I’m going out for the day which are pressed powder, lipstick and lip liner for reapplication. I love this little makeup bag that I got from Clinique as a free gift. You can actually stick more in there if you get a little creative. It’s just the right size for my tote and I won’t have to worry about shuffling through my bag to find them!

Vacation

I remember when I went on a family vacation as a child to Florida and my sister brought some of her favorite perfumes along with her for the trip. After we checked into the hotel and went to our room, my sister opened her suitcase and it smelled overwhelmingly like floral and citrus scents. She then realized all of her perfumes broke and left an overpowering smell on her clothes. This is why I make sure that all of my liquid products are protected and are in plastic. I love these Glossier pouches! They’re lined with bubble wrap, which makes it virtually impossible for any of your liquid products to spill or break. Also, you can’t go wrong with Ziploc bags either. They’re the best for any getaway. I just make sure that I place the bag with my products in them in between clothes to add a little cushion to them. This makes it less likely for any spillage to happen inside the bag.

How To Glow Like A Celebrity This Summer

Summertime season is upon us and we’re all yearning to achieve that celebrity sun-kissed glow. It seems like models and celebrities like Gigi Hadid, Chanel and Dascha Polanco have it down packed and I found a way to get a similar effect for us girls at home whether you’re wearing makeup or not.

I’ve been curious about the Estée Edit for a while now, so when I was shopping in Sephora the other day and came across the Flash Illuminators my interest peaked. I’ve been really interested in brands who have been creating formulas that looks great in pictures with social media sites like Instagram in mind (I’ll be exploring this topic later in a future post) and picked it up in Night Light.  This is a moisturizing formula that has hyaluronic acid in it that you can use one of two ways for this look: a strober or a primer. I decided to go for the latter to see it’s full effect, which worked really well under foundation.

How To Get The Look:

1. Apply a thin layer of the Flash Illuminator onto your skin (They come in four shades and I would use one that is closest to your skin tone if you’re using it as a primer).
2. Dab your liquid foundation over the illuminator with a damp beauty blender and set lightly with a powder.

I managed to get my hands on the Glossier Haloscope in Topaz a few days after it’s launch last week. As in I saw the announcement on Twitter, fell in love and ordered it immediately. What’s great about it is that it has sweet almond oil, coconut oil and castor seed oil, which makes this highlighter glide on smoothly and gives you a hydrated dewy finish. If you’re makeup is more on the minimal side (ie. light foundation, bb creams, tinted moisturizer) or you’re not wearing makeup at all then this one is for you.

How To Get The Look:

1. Glide the stick onto your cheekbones to the brow bone and making a half halo shape. Then glide it down your t-zone and onto the middle of your chin.
2. Gently rub it in.

I think we’ve known for a while now that coconut oil is the key to all of your life’s problems. Your hair is dry? Make a coconut oil mask. You need to take off your makeup? Coconut oil can get it off stat. You want whiter teeth? Mix it with baking soda for a DIY toothpaste. Well I’m here to tell you that coconut oil can also be used as a way to get that dewy glow without even applying any makeup to your skin!

How To Get the Look

1. Put a tablespoon of coconut oil into a bowl.
2. Lightly dab the tip of your finger into the oil.
3. Rub it in onto your t-zone area, your cheekbones and the middle of your chin (Be sure to not use too much oil and really work it in to your skin to avoid a greasy look).

There you have it! What are some of your beauty tips on getting that glow this summer?

Your Rainy Day Music Festival Beauty Guide and Tool Kit

Yesterday I went to the Hot 97 Summer Jam music festival, which was the most exciting yet exhausting experience I’ve had in a long time. Long story short, my friends and I were stranded at a bus station because the concert was pushed back to start two hours later from its’ original time and cancelled the festival performance that we were on line for because of the bad weather. I knew that it was going to rain while I was at the concert, which is why I planned accordingly to make sure that my look was weatherproof before I left my house.

Primer
I refused to let my makeup budge yesterday considering it was definitely one my favorite looks by far. I used primer on my face and eyes to keep it all in place because the last thing I needed was my makeup sliding around.

Creams Over Powder

I went for a cream eyeshadow instead of powder eyeshadow for a lasting look; although, I did use a powder to smoke it out to add a bit of drama to my eyes. Powder shadows could eventually fade throughout the event, but I knew that using a the darker shadow would have a harder time going away. If you really want to make sure your eye makeup doesn’t budge, lightly dust translucent powder on top of the shadow.

Waterproof Everything

Racoon eyes was definitely a look I wasn’t going for and made sure that I used waterproof makeup to keep it in place all night long.

The Half Top Knot

I adore the messy half top knot trend and couldn’t have thought of a better time to rock this look than yesterday.  I made a part from ear to ear across the center of my head and brushed my hair up making sure I didn’t leave out any flyaways. I made sure I didn’t forget to use holding spray to keep the those flyaways in check! I then twisted the top section and wrapped it around securing the look with bobby pins.

Setting Spray

A setting spray is something that I like to spray on for a little bit of extra precaution to keep my makeup in place especially for an event like this.

Fill In Your Lips With A Lip Liner

I honestly don’t want to be concerned with reapplying lipstick while I’m at a concert, so I made sure that I filled in my lips with a lip liner that was similar color to my lipstick color to make it last without too many touch ups in between sets.

Beauty On The Go Tool Kit

Sometimes Mother Nature is unpredictable, so it’s important to be extra prepared if your makeup or hairstyle unravels from the humidity and rain. These items are small enough to fit in your purse and will help you with any predicament in case your look doesn’t hold up.

Small Comb/Brush

For touching up and keeping your hair from being a tangled mess.

Q-Tips

To clean up any spillage from your lipstick or eyeliner.

Foundation In Sample Pots

In case your makeup gets destroyed from the weather.

**These sample pots, like the ones from Sephora, will be able to hold enough foundation for an emergency application.

Makeup Sponge

For touching up your foundation.

Compact

To powder your T-Zone when your skin gets too oily.

Saturday Swatch: Spring Time Love with Lorac Love, Lust & Lace

Last weekend, I went to the mall with my friends and I guess you can say I got a little carried away and went on a spending spree. Once you see me take a basket or bag that is stacked on top of each other at the entrance of the store, you know I mean business. I can literally spend three hours at Ulta surveying only one quarter of the store because I want to make sure that I don’t miss a thing while shopping. Anyways, there's a Nordstrom Rack in the mall that I went to and I always love finding high end skincare and makeup products for a discounted value. While I was doing my usual browsing I came across the LORAC Love, Lust & Lace Full Face Collection that contained the Love, Lust & Lace Eyeshadow Palette, Front of the Line PRO Eye Pencil in Black, Cobra Mascara and Alter Ego Lip Gloss in Stunner and Harlot and it was selling for a modest price of $24.97 (the original price was $42).

SOLD!

I've never tried LORAC’s products before, but I’ve heard a lot of great things about. The main thing that really sold me out of everything in the collection was the palette and it sure didn’t disappoint when I ripped open the box barely five minutes after we walked out the store. I’m definitely more of a neutrals girl, so I was instantly hooked.  The only thing that wasn’t really neutral was Devotion, which is this dark blue shimmery color. It definitely made me curious to see what it would look like on me because I feel as though that blue is definitely a hard color to pull off for most people and it kind of reminds me of 80s beauty and I was just not about that life. However, it’s becoming trendier in recent months and I actually did a tutorial recreating Lupita Nyong’o’s Star Wars red carpet look where she wore this really beautiful pigmented metallic blue lip color with this blue eyeliner and eyeshadow. I thought it was an interesting color to put in a palette that was more conservative side, but I think that the color will definitely will work well with the others.

Top to Bottom: Love, Crush, Amore, Lust, Devotion, Infatuation and Lace

When I first did the swatches of the palette I never realized how pigmented and rich these colors were. I was definitely in awe and had Drake’s Hold On We’re Going Home playing in my head while taking this photo. The only color that's pretty hard to see is Lace, but that’s because it’s really closer to my skin tone and I didn’t want to brighten up the photo too much because it would definitely affect the colors of the other swatches, which I didn’t want. When I do take photos of my products I try to make sure that the colors are as true to what you see in the palette. I always hated when I saw photos of a lipstick color or foundation color on Instagram and then be disappointed that it wasn’t the true color that I saw.

I will have to say out of all of them, Crush, Amore, and Lust are my favorite ones. Crush is a gold tone, but more on the pale amber side. It’s definitely unlike my other gold eyeshadows where it’s clearly a rich shimmery gold shade. But, this one is more on the subtle side for everyday wear. Amore is a beautiful copper tone, which is going to be a bit tricky to wear since I dyed my hair and the color looks similar to the palette. But, I may definitely try definitely try to smoke it out with Infatuation to see how that would look like. Lust has a mixture of pale silver and gold tones which is definitely a shade that would work as an everyday shadow. The color is diversive enough to be worn with anything you wear, which is great for days when you’re in a rush, but want any eye popping color.

Overall I’m fully satisfied with this purchase and I’m really impressed with this beautiful palette. Now excuse me while I go act like a 12 year old girl and play with my new goodies.

Backseat Beauty: How To Get Glam On The Go

I’m guilty of being a shower hog and sometimes I will literally stand in the tub with the hot water running contemplating life and thinking about weird alternate scenarios that happened in the past that I know could never happen. For example, just this morning I was reflecting on why didn’t I record the paranormal activity that was going in my old Long Island home and submit it to Ghost Hunters because I’m pretty confident that my Furby was possessed? Anyways, my thought process will go on for about a half hour until I come back to reality and realize that I only have an hour to meet my friends at a restaurant and I know traffic will be jam-packed. Since I didn’t have too much time to prep beforehand I’m going to have to take my essential makeup with me on the go to put on in the Uber. Check out how I got glammed up one stoplight at a time.

Hop in the Uber at 34th St 8th avenue: I always start with putting on hand sanitizer. You don’t know who was riding in the back of the car before and what their hygienic habits are like. The thought of the bacteria lurking on the seat and door handle in New York City skeeves me out. You don’t want any of it to transfer to your cosmetics or your face. So, sanitize accordingly.

33rd St: I know it’s going to be along night, so I want to make sure that my makeup will last. I like to rub in some primer on my skin for smooth application when I’m applying my makeup and to make sure that it doesn’t slide off throughout the night (The Benefit POREfessional Face Primer, $31 at sephora.com).

31st St: I'm so excited to see brands create foundation products in a compact form that would make it easier for me to touch up my skin while I’m on the go. It also comes with a cute sponge that makes applying and blending my makeup that much easier.  (L’Oreal True Match Lumi Cushion Foundation, $16.99 at ulta.com).

28th St.: My dark spots are still showing up a little under my foundation, so I’m going to dab a little concealer on them and blend it in with my fingers (NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer,  at sephora.com).

26th St: I'll definitely not even attempt to fill in my brows with a pencil because that would it would take five minutes for each brow. Instead, I’m going to fill them in with a brow mascara to expedite the process while making sure that they look full and bold (Nyx Cosmetics TInted Brow Mascara, $6.99 at ulta.com).

23rd St: I like my lashes the way they are, but I kind of want them to stand out a little bit more since I’m not applying any eyeshadow. I like using a volumizing mascara to help lengthen and add more drama to my lashes. (Estee Lauder Sumptuous Infinite Daring Length + Volume Mascara, $27.50 at sephora.com).

14th St: I love using creme blushes because they can double as a lip stain, which nixes out the need for a tube of lipstick and saves time (Honest Company Creme Blush, $22 at honestbeauty.com).

8th St: I like to set my face with a pressed powder to keep the shine away and use it as an extra barrier make sure my makeup stays in place all night (Clinique Perfectly Real Compact Makeup, $27 at macys.com).

Canal St: Get out of the Uber looking glammed up.

What are some of your backseat beauty essentials?

April Wish List: The Glistening Baby

Have you ever wanted to walk outside in the sun with glistening makeup all over your face and people become so captivated by your luminous presence that they stop and stare as if there was a bright white light shining behind you and a halo fades in over your head like an angel? But in reality, they're thinking in their head how ridiculous you look doused in shimmering product from your forehead to your neck looking like you literally took a powder puff and blopped it onto your face like the scene in White Chicks. I think we would rather have them think the former, of course. I’ve been really into shimmer popping products lately and I could probably say that my BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector highlighter is kind of the equivalent to my gateway drug into dazzling my skin into sheer sparkling heaven.

There’s one look that I would like to achieve this year, which I like to call the glistening baby effect. Not so much a baby, but more of a four-year-old’s soft, supple hyaluronic acid poppin’ skin that looks as if they patted on argan oil on their face, but they actually just woke up like that. I want my skin to have that same finish, not so much looking like a four-year-old child, but I want that glimmer. I’ve selected seven of my most wanted items for April to get that glistening effect. Of course, not wearing them all at the same time (but really).

bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Chase Your Dreams ($18). This lipstick is so bomb for spring. It’s supposed to leave your lips with this ultra pigmented, satiny finish that gives them a bigger and plumped appearance.

Black Radiance Artisan Color Baked Bronzer in Blackberry ($5.29). Honestly, I was drawn to the color swirl of this compact and the color just looked like it would give your skin a very toasty look. You have the option to use it dry to get a more subtle effect or wet if you’re looking for a more intense finish to slay the game.

Cover FX Enhance Click in Candle Light ($18). Initially I was drawn to this product because it made a clicking noise and it looked like it was fun to play with. The other reason why I want it is because I love the color and knew that this would make you look like bronzed goddess.

Colourpop Eyeshadow in Sunset Blvd ($5). Once I saw that it gave a pearl finish I was instantly sold. No explanation necessary.

BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Luminous Blush in Dahlia ($34). Their shimmering highlighter originally pulled me in, so I’m not expecting this blush to disappoint me. Also, I think this color would look so beautiful on darker skintones.

Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo 24 Hr Concentrated Crayon in Gold Rush ($5.99). This eyeshadow looks like it’s rich in pigment and would love to see how it holds up throughout the day and night.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Gloss in Kristen ($16). If you asked me two years ago if I would ever lip glosses again, I would say definitely not. However, I’m really loving this collection of lip colors and it doesn’t seem to look like it will give you that obnoxious globby finish that used to be my lip gloss of choice during my pre-teen years. I’m currently trying to repress that memory.

Saturday Swatch: All Glowed Up

So, I’m a little bit late to the highlighter game. I only recently nailed contouring this past December and already thought that my highlight and contour was already on point. I didn’t think I needed an extra highlighter at all. If anything, I would just go into my Naked 2 palette and take one of the shimmery pink shadows and dust it along my cheekbones. I just never thought it was necessary. But, then I saw this Instagram video of Kamila Bravo using the Benefit High Beam liquid highlighter and every preconceived notion I had about highlighters became completely irrelevant. I’ve never seen someone’s skin glow as prominently as her’s did after she put it on. I mean just look at that execution.

Top: BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal. Bottom: Benefit High Beam Liquid Face Highlighter)

Of course after watching that magic happen, I skipped over to Sephora and I bought it on the spot. The Benefit High Beam Liquid Face Highlighter is a beautiful pink liquid highlighter that leaves this beautiful icy silvery glow after blending it in. I would have to say that less is more if you're going to use this highlighter especially if your skin is deep like mine since it could make you a little bit ashy. I think it blends a little bit easier and gives a more natural finish if you use a damp beauty blender. When I first used it all I could remember was wondering why and how did I ever underestimate the power of highlighters? It gave me the Victoria Secret Angel glow. I was hooked.

I’ve been hearing a lot buzz surrounding BECCA’s highlighters, specifically the Jaclyn Hill Champagne Pop. I did a swatch of it in the store and thought it was a beautiful color, but I found myself more drawn to Opal. It wasn’t until I went home to try it on that I immediately understood what the hype was about. BECCA’s highlighters are extremely pigmented and rich so again, less is more in this situation. But, my goodness. When I swiped this on my nose and cheekbones with an angled brush, I just wanted to cover my whole face with it and walk around snapping selfies of my skin’s glow. Of course, I probably would never do that because I would look like a vampire from Twilight, but you get what I’m saying.  I really loved the golden tone for this one because I have golden undertones in my skin, so it really complimented my complexion really well.

Needless to say, both of these highlighters will do wonders for your complexion and really take your makeup (and selfies) to the next level.

Do you have any products that changed the game for you?

Experimenting with My Look: Balayage Edition

I used to be the type of girl that liked to blend into the background. In some ways I guess you can say that I still am only I’m very comfortable with speaking up especially in front of a large group of people. I was very cautious about experimenting with my look because I didn’t like being in the spotlight at all. In some ways I found comfort in it. No one was really paying attention to me because I was the quiet girl that had her head buried in her books and didn’t run into any problems. I loved it.

It wasn’t until high school when I became more curious about fashion and beauty and started experimenting more instead of adhering to the status quo. My style became more girly and chic. I loved finding pieces that were unique and dressing in a way flattered my body. I delved into makeup during a class I took when I was in middle school and nailed down the basics of foundation, concealer and mascara, but I became more comfortable with wearing more statement eyeshadows and lipsticks during my junior year of college. I was always inspired by the beauty gurus on YouTube who could make such a creative statement through their makeup. It always reflected their vibrant personalities and I knew I wanted to have that same outlet to express myself.  So, I started to learn and practice more advanced techniques and haven’t turned back since.

I’ve always thought about doing something with my hair whether it was chopping it off or getting it colored, but the thought of changing it so dramatically terrified me. Also, I thought that coloring it or getting highlights would do more damage than good. Ironically, I was still getting relaxers done every three months at the time, which was probably doing things a lot worse to my locs. It wasn’t until March 2015 that I stopped getting relaxers and switched to getting keratin treatments twice a year. Even then, I knew I wanted to do something more, but I wasn’t sure what.

When the new year rang in, I admitted to myself that I’m not brave enough to cut my hair just yet, but I think I will experiment with color and look up how to keep it healthy with masque treatments and deep conditioners.  Also, I was looking for a release at the time and I really wanted to change up my look for my last semester in college. I might as well end it with a bang, right? I made an appointment with my hair stylist in January and she did a single process color, which originally lightened it up to this blondish brown color that terrified me, but after re-dying it darker about three times (I really felt bad for making her do that) we agreed on a color that looked right.

    (Without lighting)

(With lighting)                

Now, I was feeling the color for a while because it was this nice reddish brown that changed colors depending on what type of lighting I was in. My hair was basically a mood ring. But, then my roots started to grow out and it was getting painful to watch. Spring break was coming up and I knew that it was absolutely crucial for me to get my hair dyed again because I didn’t want to look like a skunk for graduation. I always flirted with the idea of getting balayage done, but it was on the pricier end and I wasn’t really sure about how it would look on textured hair. But, since I had a little more money at the time I was able to afford it and decided why not? The balayage is actually a better technique if you’re not the type to get your roots touched up so often since the hair is dyed in a specific way where growing out your roots looks more natural. When I got to the salon and showed my stylist a photo of what I wanted, she said that since my hair was close to the cinnamon color in the photo, she said that it would be best to dye the top of my head a darker color and transition it seamlessly into the hair that was already dyed the cinnamon reddish color. Then she would add a few more highlights to really bring out the color. Thankfully, I didn’t have to pay for the full price of balayage to do it and I’ve been really happy with my hair ever since. I literally feel like I’m giving off some supermodel vibes from this hair and you better believe that I’m doing the Beyoncé hair flip at any chance I can get.

What are some ways that you have expressed yourself through beauty?