Christmas beauty tips!

BEAUTY TIPS BASED OFF OF CHRISTMAS CHARACTERS

Here are a few Christmas beauty tips based on holiday characters from popular Christmas tales. You might not want to look round like Frosty or furry like the Grinch, but you'll actually find both of these characters on this creative Christmas list. Read on for the crazy Christmas beauty tips inspired by beloved Christmas characters.

Red Nose
This is one of the best Christmas beauty tips for those who spend the winter suffering from a red nose. Unless you're planning on leading Santas sleigh, you want to keep that redness away. Remember that the Rankin/Bass version of Rudolph did try to cover up his nose before realizing that it was useful. Unfortunately, there's really no benefit to having a red nose. To deal with this issue, always make sure that your purse is equipped with moisturizer, concealer, and lots of lotion-infused tissue. Try using a green-tinted concealer to counteract the redness, and keep your nose covered with a scarf whenever you're outside in the cold winter air.

Charcoal as Eyeliner
This beauty tip is based on Frosty the Snowman, who had "two eyes made out of coal." However, you definitely shouldn't use those two lumps of coal you got in your stocking as eyeliner. Instead you can try using activated charcoal pills as eye makeup. Just break open a pill and pour the contents out onto a plate or jar lid. Dip a moist eyeliner brush into the charcoal, swirl it around, and apply. You might want to break open a bunch of capsules and store the contents inside a separate container so you don't waste a whole pill each time you do this.

Beware What You Put on Your Face
Remember that scene in "Home Alone" where Kevin McAllister slaps aftershave on his face and screams? You shouldn't be applying certain substances to your skin during the wintertime. All those toners and harsh cleansers might be drying it out. You can actually use oils like extra virgin olive oil to remove your makeup and wash your face, and you might need to switch to a thicker moisturizer. Your skin needs a few extra barriers to keep that cold, dry air from getting in.

Get Grinchy
If you're looking for a way to treat dry skin, try going green. You definitely don't want to be covered in green fur like the mean Grinch, but there's nothing wrong with making yourself temporarily resemble the villain. Just mash up an avocado and mix it with a few drops of extra virgin olive oil to create a moisturizing face mask. Slather it on and leave it on for 30 minutes. 

Sugar Plum
Look for a sparkly purple dress to pair with tights and ballet flats or boots. You can also look for purple glitter nail polish and sparkly purple eyeshadow. Everyone will be wearing red and green to holiday parties, so why not try to stand out from the crowd while still channeling a popular Christmas character?

Look Very Merry
You should definitely brighten up your face with a little rose-colored blush. It will give you a cute flushed look that will make you look like you just came back from a fun snowball fight. Just don't overdo it—you don't want to end up looking like a Christmas clown.

Better Makeup

PERFECT YOUR MAKEUP

For some girls, it’s tough to find the reason as to why your makeup is just not looking right, so here are a few tips to make your makeup look better and more flattering. There are some very common mistakes that are made when it comes to applying makeup. The easiest way to learn about makeup application is through YouTube videos, blogs, and other beauty sources. You can also schedule a makeup lesson at the salon to give you hands on education. 

BLEND
Blending is one of the most important things to do when it comes to makeup application. Failing to blend your makeup will result in harsh lines and an unnatural look. You want your makeup to blend with your skin. Blend your foundation, eye shadow, concealer and blushes and keep it as natural as possible.

EYEBROW PERFECTION
Getting your eyebrows done will make a huge difference to your face. Clean eyebrows will create an even nicer shape to your face as well. Once they’re all cleaned up, it’s easier to fill in your eyebrows to make them nice and defined. You can use a pencil or powder to fill them in. This will make your makeup look flawless. 

CONTOUR & HIGHLIGHT
Contouring and highlighting will create an optical illusion to make your nose appear slimmer, cheekbones defined, and entire face as well. The contour is a shade or two darker than your skin tone, and should be matte. As long as you do this carefully and blend, this will make your makeup look even better.

LIP LINER
Lipstick and glosses are beautiful on their own, but adding lip liner will make such a difference. When you line your lips, your lips appear bigger and more defined. Make sure the liner is the same shade as the lipstick you use. Apply some gloss on top and you will be all set.
 
RIGHT MATCH
One very common mistake when it comes to makeup application is the foundation shade. It’s very hard to find a shade that matches us individually. Make sure you test the color in natural light, because different lighting can sometimes be deceiving. The right foundation shade for you will make your face look natural and you won’t have two different skin tones on your face and neck.

SKINCARE
Some people aren’t aware of the fact that skincare does change the way your makeup applies. Washing your face and taking care of your skin will make a difference. Your makeup will apply way more flawlessly and will give an airbrushed effect, along with the fact that you will have minimized pores, less blemishes and smoother skin. Make sure you take your makeup off at night, cleanse, exfoliate, tone, and moisturize regularly.
 
RIGHT COLOR
Along with the right foundation shade, it’s also good to choose colors that will bring out your individual tones. The colors of your shadows, lipsticks and blushes should flatter your eyes and skin tone. If you have brown or dark eyes, go for warm colors. If you have light eyes and a lighter complexion, go for cool tones.
 
OVERDOING
Another important rule to makeup application is not overdoing it. Too much makeup takes away from our natural beauty. We use makeup to enhance our look, rather than create it. Apply your makeup with a light hand. It’s always best to pick up little amounts of product and build it up appropriately. That way you don’t apply too much and will have trouble blending.
 
PRIMER & SETTING
For those who don’t know, primer is applied before any makeup. This makes your makeup go on better and last longer. Some primers also minimize the look of pores. This creates a smooth and even base for your foundation. Setting your makeup can be done with a spray or powder. This will also ensure long lasting makeup, as well as prevent it getting oily throughout the day.

 

 

 

Why cleaning your makeup brushes is important

WHY CLEANING YOUR MAKEUP BRUSHES IS IMPORTANT

Makeup brushes can accumulate old makeup, dirt, oil, dead skin and bacteria. As we're about to see, there are so many reasons to clean your makeup brushes on an average of every two weeks. Here's what happens if you don't.

 ACNE 

Putting bacteria and germs back onto your face with a sticky, dusty makeup brush can aggravate underlying skin conditions like acne. If you have an open sore, pore or cracked skin, bacteria can start an infection. You'll be swapping the infection back and forth creating a never-ending cycle of breakouts.

  
SKIN IRRITATION
 
Makeup bristles caked with product can dry out, causing them to become brittle, making them abrasive to your skin. Wiping scratchy makeup brushes on the face can irritate and roughen the texture of your soft skin. It can even make your skin look dull. Cleaning your brushes on the regular keeps them soft.

  
HERPES & PINK EYE
 
Your lip gloss and mascara containers are a dark and moist environment, where herpes loves to live. You can clean your lip gloss wands and your lipstick with a spritz of rubbing alcohol. Please, never share your lip/eye brushes, mascara or eyeliner with anyone! You'll just be swapping germs.

CONTAMINATION

Cosmetic gels and creams are wet environments waiting for your dirty brush bristles, where bacteria can multiply. Liquid makeup gets older much faster than powder. Have a separate brush for each cosmetic to avoid contamination between them.

CHANGES IN COLOR

If your makeup brushes are dirty, the intended shade will not appear on your skin as its true color. Also, blending and contouring your makeup for those dramatic effects will be difficult. You want your skin to look as smooth as porcelain after you put on your makeup. Dirty makeup brushes with leave you with a spotty face.

DESTROY THE BRUSHES

Makeup creams left to dry can stiffen the bristles of makeup brushes and destroying them. Quality makeup brushes can be expensive. Cleaning them will maintain their softness and strength keeping them in good shape longer. You can opt to purchase disposable brushes or cheaper brushes to replace more often.

NO HANDS

Dirty makeup brushes are just as bad as using your fingers. Putting foundation, powder, or shadow on your face, even with clean hands, is a no-no. The oils on your hands spread bacteria around your face much more easily than brushes. We don't want bacteria on our faces because it can cause blemishes and other nasty skin irritations. Putting your hands on your face can even spread flu and cold germs.

Make your eyes pop!

MAKE YOUR EYES STAND OUT 

BLUE EYES

If you want to make your blue eyes stand out start by using the right eye shadow colors. Brown, beige and silver work best, but maybe not altogether.

BROWN EYES

Browns eyes can really pop with gold, tan and blue shades of shadow. The color contrast is what helps bring them out.

GREEN EYES

Makeup artist suggest using purple, blue, sliver and pink to really emphasis green eyes.

SMALL EYES

Sometimes smaller eyes don’t get as much attention, but with the right eyeliner tips you can really make your eyes stand out. You are going to want to line your top lash line from the midpoint of our eye to the outer edge. You can even go beyond the edge just a little. Also line your lower lash line a quarter of the way in. This technique draws attention to the outside of your eyes making them appear larger.

BRIGHTEN UP

Are your eyes looking a little dull? Try to brighten them up with a little peach or beige liner along the bottom rim from corner to corner.

EYELASHES

My favorite way to make eyes stand out with by curling lashes. If your lashes are straight or point down this technique will really open up your eyes.

MASCARA

Mascara has a way of taking your face from boring to vivacious. Black mascara is the key to making your eyes stand out. 

EVEN BRIGHTER EYES

Another tip to brighten up your eyes is to use a little white shadow on the inside of your eye near the tear ducts. Just this little bit of white can make a huge difference.

HIGHLIGHT

Don’t forget to highlight your brow bone. This is the area beneath your eyebrows and above your crease. Add a simple light white or beige shade to the area for full effect.

EYEBROWS

While we are on the topic of eyebrows let’s not forget to keep those bad boys tame. Unruly eyebrows can draw attention away from your eyes. If you want your to make your eyes stand out be sure to pluck or wax your brows.

DEEP-SET EYES

Do you have deep set eyes? If you do here is little tip. Use a shimmery shadow in the hue appropriate for your eye color. The shimmer will draw your eyes out more.

NEUTRAL LIP COLOR

Either you want to draw attention to your eyes or your lips. You can’t do both. That’s just too much drama for one face. If you want to make your eyes stand out wear a neutral lip color.

DARK CIRCLES

Conceal dark circles under your eyes. We want people to notice your eyes for good reasons, not because you have bags and look like you haven’t slept in days.

BLACK LINER NO-NO

While a heavy black eyeliner circle around your entire eye will attract attention, it’s not the kind of attention we were seeking. Avoid doing this. It makes your eye look really small.

FALSE LASHES

I think fake lashes look terrific and with black liner are gorgeous for a night out or a special event. I don’t think the same look is as effective for a run to the grocery store or post office. Save the all that glamour for the right occasion.

GLASSES

Do you wear glasses? Don’t worry you can still make your eyes stand out. Add a light concealer underneath your eye all the way to the outer corner. The light color attracts attention and hides in shadow caused by glasses.

BIGGER LASHES

If you want to add more drama to your lashes without going all out with faux lashes, trying applying a couple more coats to the outer lashes. It will make them appear thicker and longer.

BOTTOM LASHES

Sometimes these poor little guys just get forgotten, but if you really want to make your eyes stand out you will show them a little attention. Don’t go crazy, one or two coats of mascara should be enough.

Make-Up Fixes for a Tired Face!

QUICK MAKE-UP FIXES FOR A TIRED FACE

The stresses of a hectic lifestyle can take their toll. We can’t all be fresh faced and perky all of the time, but luckily they invented makeup to help us out with that! Here’s a few hints on how to get your glow back!

CLEAN SLATE

Please, remove your make up from the night before. Nothing can bring that flaky smudged mascara back to life. Clean it off, towel dry, let your skin breathe, and prepare to start fresh in the morning.

Moisturize

Tired skin needs moisture, so before you do anything else apply an intense hydrating cream to your freshly washed face. When you start the make up, remember, less is more. Tired features tend to look heavy to start with: eyes are dark and shadowed, lips are dry and raw. Your job isn’t to hide your exhaustion under inches of face paint. Instead, you need to restore some of that healthy sparkle that’s slipped away in the night.

VICIOUS CIRCLES

Key to refreshing your less-than-perky look is eliminating those dark bags that have collected under your eyes. A light touch is all you need, it's best to use a creamy concealer. Make sure the shade’s not too pale. Go for something with a little yellow in it. The tint will counteract the shadows and have you looking lively in no time at all.

THE LIGHT FANTASTIC

You'll want to get a good illuminator. Believe me, you’ll use it every single day. Tinted cream highlighters are about the best – just make sure the one you pick isn’t too sparkly. They’re great for defining brow and cheek bones and will banish bleariness from a tired face in seconds.

ULTRA VIOLET EYES

Apply a dab of pale purple shadow to the centre of your lid and watch your drooping peepers transform back into the bright sparkly eyes. Go for a cream product if possible, and one that’s a little translucent. Powders tend to rub off and matte down, and this destroys that fab fresh effect.

LIGHT LINER

Instead of black or brown liner, which will pick up sallow tones in your skin, slide a white pencil along you lower lid. Your eyes will instantly look clear, wider and more defined.

LIP SERVICE

Tired, dehydrated lips do not do well under lipstick. The only thing worse than raw chapped skin, is raw, chapped skin that’s coloured. To avoid this unfortunate scenario, simply stick with a lip balm. Find something soothing and ultra hydrating (teatree based products work very well) and apply regularly to revitalise your worn-out pout.