November 21, 2014

Dre Does : My Acne Story - Part Three

November 21, 2014/ Andrea Fontana

Part Three is here to give you some amazing products for covering acne while it's healing! In case you missed parts one and two click the links to catch up before reading on. In part one I gave you a little background and introduction to my acne and in the second part I shared what changes I made in both my lifestyle and skincare routine in order to heal it! Today however, I'm going to share some more products, except this time for concealing. These items worked amazing for me and I definitely recommend trying them out.

First up we have my favorite foundation of all time, the TARTE AMAZONIAN CLAY 12 HR FULL COVERAGE FOUNDATION. This is all I wear most days because it is so light but also build-able. I love that Tarte Cosmetics is paraben and mineral oil free, among many other ingredients as well. I feel like this allows my skin to breathe and doesn't feel heavy at all. It's the closest I've ever gotten to serious full coverage foundation while still looking natural. I get complimented on my smooth and perfect looking skin almost every day at work and I 100% attribute it to this foundation. People don't know my skin is extremely discolored and uneven underneath. I've written many posts on it before but it is truly a holy grail item in my makeup bag. The Amazonian Clay is amazing at balancing my oily skin and keeping me shine-free. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone with dryness or flakey skin however. It is truly best for oily skin because the clay will dry you out even more and cling to patches if there and then it really will look unnatural.

If you can't shell out the $38 for the Tarte foundation, I recommend checking out COVERGIRL'S OUTLAST STAY FABULOUS 3-in-1 FOUNDATION. This was my favorite before I discovered the Tarte one and it's an amazing foundation and very similar. It also gives a matte finish which I think is key in covering acne. Any bit of shine will call attention to the texture of your skin, so if it is bumpy make sure to use a matte finish foundation. This doesn't mean you have to have a completely matte face. Add dimension in the right places with a highlighter later, but start with a nice matte base to conceal the acne better. This foundation is also long wearing and gives great coverage. I'm not normally into gimmicky products that say they are multiple products in one (in this case primer, foundation and concealer) but I really think it does these things so good job Covergirl!

My favorite concealer is the BENEFIT BOI-ING INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH CONCEALER for concealing blemishes but the SONIA KASHUK HIDDEN AGENDA PALETTE is a close second. Both give great coverage and are a thicker, creamy consistency which I prefer for spot concealing. I like that the Sonia Kashuk comes which a few different shades so you can perfectly match your skin tone and also a setting powder. My favorite way to apply these is to use my ring finger (clean so we don't spread any bacteria!) to really melt the product into my skin and make it look more natural.

The second key step in concealing your blemishes is prolonging the wear so that they stay covered all day! For this you need a good setting powder. I personally love the RIMMEL STAY MATTE POWDER for not only mattifying my t-zone but also for setting my concealer. I just use a very small fluffy brush to dust this over my concealer and it helps it last all day!

Lastly I have to talk about my URBAN DECAY DESLICK SETTING SPRAY because I seriously don't know what I would do without it. This product is key in making my makeup and concealing last all day, especially when I'm covering blemishes! I prefer the oil control formula because I am oily but they have two other options as well for dry and normal skin. You cannot feel this spray on your face and it seriously is the secret to how I get my makeup to last a good 12 hours.

Let me know if you have any favorite makeup products for dealing with acne. I really hope you enjoyed this series and if you like this type of post be sure to let me know! Remember not to get frustrated and to be patient when dealing with skin! Start the good habits and you can clear your acne as well!

Have a beautiful weekend,

Dre

September 15, 2014

Dre Does a Drugstore Lipstick Must Have

September 15, 2014/ Andrea Fontana

Rimmel London does some amazing products. Everyone knows the cult favorite Stay Matte powder and if you know me, I've probably recommended the Rimmel Lash Accelerator mascara to you before, but I've never really mentioned any of their lip products.

Since we are entering fall and the time for dark vampy lipstick, I figured I would share my favorite dark lipstick from the drugstore. It's my favorite because of not only the shade, but the formula as well. Rimmel teamed up with Kate Moss to create the Kate Moss line awhile ago, but the lipsticks haven't left stores yet and I'm hoping they don't anytime soon!

They created both a Lasting Finish Matte line (in red tubes) and a Lasting Finish line (in black tubes) as well. My personal favorite is the Lasting Finish formula in the shade 01. It's a deep red shade that has a pretty neutral undertone and I just love it!

The formula of these lipsticks is awesome because they are the perfect inbetween matte and glossy finish. You get great pigmentation, no drying, yet the look isn't too shiny. I own multiple shades in this formula and I highly recommend trying them out. At only $4.99 how can you not? Haha

Let me know what your favorite shade and formula from the drugstore is below!

Have a beautiful week,

Dre

March 07, 2014

Dre Does Top 4 Mascaras

March 07, 2014/ Andrea Fontana

Mascara. It's like the one thing us women are never satisfied with. We always want the newest, thicker, more volumizing, more lengthening, darker than black....mascara. It's a never ending quest so I'm here to share my favorite mascaras, mostly drugstore, but also one high end. Keep in mind that what may work for one person may do nothing for another, so let me tell you a bit about my lashes and what I personally like in a mascara.

My lashes are generally long and dark, however they don't like to curl whatsoever and I wish they were fuller. When I look for a mascara I gravitate towards volume, curling, and separation. I always buy them in the blackest black shades as well. I'm a huge lash junkie so I do multiple coats and sometimes layer different mascaras, but let's meet the winners!

1. tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes!: We're just going to start off with my favorite because I can't help it! I recently featured this one in my February favorites and I've fallen in love. It is really dark and very buildable. The wand is skinny enough to really get every little lash and get really close to your lash line.The thing I love most besides all the volume it gives is how great it is at holding a curl. While it is more expensive than the others I've shown here, it's not bad compared to some other high end mascaras. It is a little harder to remove than the others but since this is what comes with great staying power, I don't mind. If you're looking for a comparison, it is much easier to remove than Benefit's They're Real mascara. Since it's more expensive, it's a great one to keep on hand for special occasions or nights out.

2. Maybelline's The Falsies Volume Express: This ones an oldie but a goodie. The slight curve of the wand allows you to get right into the base of your eyelashes and really build the volume. I've gone through at least 5 of these babies and it's a mascara I just always have on hand. It's a great addition to other mascaras if you just want a little more fullness.

3. Rimmel London's Lash Accelerator: This is my favorite lengthening mascara ever. It separates and lengthens your lashes so beautifully and is really buildable as well (as you can see I love multiple coats, so being buildable without getting clumpy is a huge quality I look for in a mascara). I really like to apply this one first to get good length on my lashes and then apply the Maybelline Falsies or another that's more volumizing, to get the desired fullness. Adding this mascara before another definitely helps you achieve that big, long, voluminous lash look!

4. Physician's Formula Organic Wear Jumbo: This is a new favorite of mine that I finally tried out due to various YouTube beauty gurus, regardless of the tacky packaging...haha. The wand reminded me of the Covergirl Lash Blast wand which I'm not a fan of so I was hesitant at first, but I'm really glad I tried it. It gives you great volume without clumping your lashes. This is another one that is very...get ready for it... BUILDABLE! (I can't help it! Haha). I got mine in a 'two for the price of one' pack so keep an eye out for those! This is definitely one of my go-to every day mascaras.

All of these prices are based on ulta.com but most drugstores do various Buy one get one half off sales and promos so keep a close look on weekly ads!

What are your favorite mascaras? Any holy grail ones you think I should try or ones you'd like me to review? Leave me a comment below and let me know because I'm always down to try more!

Have a beautiful day,

Dre

January 16, 2014

Dre Does a Makeup of the Day

January 16, 2014/ Andrea Fontana

I posted this a sneak peek of this makeup look yesterday. I think it's the perfect Natural makeup look. It's also really quick and easy. I did my normal face routine, but I wanted to point out some key aspects of the look. First off, whenever I'm doing a super natural look I always make sure to fill in my brows. It's a simple way to give your face structure and make you look polished and put together without much makeup on. I use the color Faint (a medium to dark brown) from my Urban Decay Naked Basics palette and a small angled brush. Then I just set it with a clear mascara so my brows stay put and the color lasts longer.

Next, I did all of the tips from yesterday's post on making your eyes look bigger and brighter. You can especially see how I defined my eyelids. I applied a Maybelline Color Tattoo cream shadow in Barely Branded (70) and then on top I used my Naked Basics palette again (I wasn't exaggerating in that post a couple of weeks ago about how much I loved it haha). I added the lightest shade Venus in the middle of my lids, added Faint in the inner and outer corners, and blended everything together nicely. That's it! Even though they're matte shadows, I love the glow it gives my eyes. They really pop and look bigger!

All I did after this was apply my Rimmel Lash Accelerator mascara and add some Chapstick and I was done! I've listed all the products below to achieve this look. It's seriously my go-to easy makeup when I'm rushed and still want to look put together!

Laura Geller Spackle Tinted Under Makeup Primer in Bronze

Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 foundation in buff beige

Sonia Kashuk Hidden Agenda Concealer Palette in 07 light

NYX Wonder Pencil in 01 Light

tarte Amazonian Clay Bronzer in Park Avenue Princess

tarte Amazonian Clay 12 hour blush in treasured

tarte Amazonian Clay Highlighter in Champagne

Revlon Photoready Transulecent Face Powder

Maybelline 24 HR Color Tattoo Metal in Barley Branded

Urban Decay Naked Basics Eyeshadow Palette (colors Venus and Faint)

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in Clear Transparent (for brows)

Rimmel Lash Accelorator Mascara in Extreme Black

Have a beautiful day,

Dre

January 07, 2014

Dre Does a Makeup of the Day

January 07, 2014/ Andrea Fontana

We've had quite the blizzard in the Midwest these past few days. Seeing as work and school were both cancelled, I took the opportunity to play with some new makeup items I picked up before the holidays that I never got to play with. I thought I'd share it as well as a list of products I used. If you have questions or would like a review of any of the products, leave a comment below and I'll get right on it!