How to Look Your Best in Photos with Alexa Losey // I love makeup.

It's that time of year for family reunions in the park, and selfies at the beach. Liked this video from Alexa Losey and 'I love makeup.' Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

XoxoX

5 Days of Work Looks | Makeup Geek

I am going to try each and every one of these looks. So good, I had to share.

XoxoX

✄ How to cut your own hair ✄

Interesting new way to cut hair. I trust Lilith Moon when it comes to hair, and I'll be trying this out on my own hair this afternoon.

Tip Tuesday: Complimentary Colors to Make Your Eyes Pop

Remember that opposite colors on the color wheel tend to cancel each other out. But ...if you place them side by side, they do something extraordinary. They make each other stand out. 

It's a simple concept, but a crucial one when you're choosing the most flattering eyeshadow colors for your look. 

Some inspiration:

For blue eyes: Since orange is the opposite color of blue, anything with orange in it will make blue eyes stand out more. It doesn't have to be a bright pumpkin color — it just has to have orange-hued undertones like gold, apricot, or peach.

For green eyes: Red is the opposite color of green. I wouldn't recommend you slap on any cherry red-colored eyeshadow to your lids. But your green eyes pop if you use colors that have red undertones, like deep plums and wine.

For brown eyes: Brown is a neutral color, so any color will work well. The most standout colors are blue and purple.

I hope you learned something useful. Thank you for your time, and stay beYOUtiful!

- Becky xoxox

Tip Tuesday: Changing Your Eye Shape Using Makeup

Just like we use highlights and shadows to contour the face, we can also use the same principle to alter our eye shape. Whether you have hooded lids, or narrow-set eyes, you can use your knowledge of light and shadow to enhance their beauty.

If you want definition: Sweep a light bronzer or transition shade through the crease. Your crease is just beneath your brow bone but above your lid. This technique is great for mature skin, to give the eye more definition. 

If you have narrow-set eyes: To elongate your eye width, apply a black liner to the outer half of both your upper and lower lash lines, connecting at the outer corner. Focus your darker colored shadows on the outer third of your lids to draw the eye outward from the nose.

If you have hooded eyes: Use what you know about highlights and shadows to lift your eye. Apply highlighter below your crease, from the inner to outer lid. Then blend a transition shadow on the area that you want to push back. You'll need to manually blend in a faux-crease on the upper area of your eye, above the lid but beneath the brow. Make sure to blend the edges starting from the highlight on the lid to the shadow in your faux-crease and back up to the highlight beneath the brow. This same technique works for women of Asian decent who often don't have a pronounced crease.

If you have small eyes: Apply a nude-colored eyeliner to your lower water line, which will help make eyes look more open. Then use a black pencil liner along your entire upper and lower lash lines, connecting the lines at the outer corner. The key is to blend the liner with shadow, sweeping outward away from the nose. Wherever you place the darkness is where the eye will go. By smudging the eyeliner, you give the allusion that your eyes are larger in scale.

For fuller looking lashes: Apply a black pencil to your upper water line. This lengthens the eye and it also sharpens the appearance of the eye, giving more fullness to the natural lash line without seeing the hard edge of a liner.

I hope you learned something useful. Thank you for your time, and stay beYOUtiful!

- Becky xoxox

Tip Tuesday: Tips for Contouring

Applying your makeup is no different than applying paints to a canvas. Contouring is the art of highlighting and shading, whether it's on a cheek or on muslin. 

Anything that is lighter than the skin tone will make an area more prominent, anything darker will make that area recede.

Use contouring to add dimension to your face and to accentuate your positives. 

If you have a round face and want to make it look more oval: Apply a bronzer a shade or two darker than your skin tone in a "3" shape alongside your face: on your temples, the hollow of your cheeks, and under your jaw line.  

If you have a prominent forehead: Shade around the outer edge of your forehead along your hairline to minimize the area with bronzer.  

If you have a flat or wide nose: Shade alongside the bridge of your nose on either side, starting from your inner brows. Then highlight right on the center of your nose. Be sure to blend well to avoid a painted-on look.

If your cheeks are sagging: Apply a highlighter just above your cheekbone all the way to your temple. Use a blush directly on the cheekbone, then use a bronzer in the hollow of the cheek, underneath your bone.

And if you really want to make your contouring stand out: Use a sparkly highlighter, which will reflect the most light. 

And remember: When applying a bronzer, always use one with a matte finish, which will absorb light and create a stark contrast. See my post on contouring powders vs. bronzing powders for more suggestions.

I hope you learned something useful. Thank you for your time, and stay beYOUtiful!

- Becky xoxox

Tip Tuesday: Use The Color Wheel to Hide Blemishes

The key to applying your best makeup look is being able to identify your undertones and knowing how to manipulate the color wheel to get rid of unwanted color.

Opposite colors cancel each other out, so green-pigmented concealer or primers cover redness, and orange-hued concealer removes blue tones from the skin. 

Be warned: If you use a beige concealer, it'll only make those areas look muddy.

I hope you learned something useful. Thank you for your time and stay beYOUtiful!

- Becky xoxox

Tip Tuesday: Mix Primer With Your Cream Foundation

You can wear a cream foundation straight out of the bottle for an opaque, full coverage look. Or ...you can make your foundation more translucent by mixing it with some primer.

This is the best way to retain the foundation's coverage without looking caked on. Plus, you get to reap the long-lasting durability that cream foundation has over liquids and powders. This also helps the makeup blend seamlessly with the first layer of primer on your skin.

Want to know more about cream foundations?

Everyone can use cream foundation. Those of us with oily skin, however, should use a damp sponge to apply it. 

Most foundations have oil in their formula to give the coverage blend-ability. Using the sponge will pick up the pigment, but not the oil in the foundation. You'll still get great coverage, but not the shine.

For dry or combination skin types, use your foundation brush and buff the foundation onto the skin, concentrating on the center of your face, which is typically where your skin has the most discoloration. The further you get from the center, the less coverage you want, to maintain a more natural, less mask-like look.

I hope you learned something useful. Thank you for your time, and stay beYOUtiful!

- Becky xoxox

Tip Tuesday: Invest in the Best Tools for Success (Then Learn How to Use Them)

There is a magic trifecta in applying good makeup. Tools and product quality are equally as important as the makeup application skills you have. For example, if you are using mediocre brushes, mediocre products, and have average skill ...just by improving the quality of your brushes and using more richly pigmented products, the application will immediately be better, even without improving your technique. 

If you really want to apply your makeup like a pro, do what the professionals do: Use the best brushes you can afford for application.

Here are the eight basic brushes you need:

1. Foundation brush

2. Concealer brush

3. Fluffy powder brush

4. Blush brush

5. Small blending brush

6. Flat eyeshadow brush

7. Precision angle brush

8. Lip brush

Once you have your tools, learn the correct way to use them. 

Where you hold a brush on the handle affects your control. The closer your fingers are to the ferrule (the silver section beneath the brush head), the more pressure you put on the brush head and the more opaque your application is going to be.  

As a rule - if you want to apply color evenly, place your fingers on the center of the brush handle. 

One last tip: You can easily turn a fluffy brush into a flat, angled brush by squeezing the bristles on your brush and flattening them.

I hope you learned something new. Thank you for your time and stay beYoutiful!

- Becky xoxox