June 18, 2014

Dre Does Tips on Summer Makeup

June 18, 2014/ Andrea Fontana

When it comes to makeup in the summer, I try to wear it as little as possible. However, there are some times when you need to look put together and going makeup-free is unavoidable. I'm here with my quick tips and alterations to my makeup routine that I use for the summer to make it either last longer or look more put together with less products.

1. Less is more. When I think of summer skin, I think of tanned, glowing beautiful skin. I'm generally happier with my skin in the summer so my philosophy behind summer makeup is different than what I would do in the winter. I want my natural tan and glow to shine through, so I like to use a lighter foundation with less coverage as a base and then I go in and spot conceal the areas that need more attention. This gives the skin a more natural look and ultimately helps your makeup hold up all day because you're using less products and those that are lighter. My theory is the less products you add, the less there are to melt off in the heat and humidity right? haha I will be doing this foundation routine later in the week so look out for it!

2. Change your focus. Summer is a wonderful time to experiment bold new makeup trends. My favorite is to try new lip colors because most of us can generally pull off more shades when we have a little extra color in our skin. If you want to go lighter on the skin and keep it more natural this is a great time to bring the focus to another area of your face. A dramatic cat-eye wing with a waterproof gel liner is a great way to bring drama to your makeup while using a product that is guaranteed to stay put and not budge in the summer.

3. Primers. Find yourself a great face primer and eye primer that work for your skin type. I personally love the Cover-FX Mattifying Primer with Anti-Acne Treatment (click here if you missed Monday's review on this awesome product). If you're oily or have acne prone skin, you need to check it out. For my eyes I love the classic Urban Decay Primer Potion in the original formula. Primers do a whole bunch of beneficial things but most importantly in regards to what we're discussing, they are going to give your makeup something to hold onto. You want to really lock in your makeup so it doesn't go anywhere and this is the first key product I recommend to get your makeup to stay and not crease.

4. Invest in a good setting spray. I recently purchased Urban Decay's Deslick Makeup Setting Spray to use on my brides for the summer because I had yet to try it. So far...I'm in love. Spray a setting spray after you are done with your makeup and it will help set everything, make it look seamless, and make it last longer. I especially like this one from Urban Decay because it helps with oil-control and has temperature-control technology that lowers the temperature of your makeup so it lasts longer. Pretty fancy huh? One quick additional tip is to spray your setting spray after your primer and before your foundation to give your foundation something extra to grab onto and to create basically a barrier that will keep you oil-free longer.

5. Set your liquid products. Make sure you have a good setting powder to set both your concealer and liquid foundation. You want to make sure that it is finely milled so it doesn't set it any fine lines and you if you're going to be around flash photography, stay away from HD powders. They are generally made of mostly silica which can give you a terrible white powder flashback in your pictures! Setting your liquid products will help absorb excess shine and oil and also lock in your makeup to make it last longer (bet you didn't see that one coming...haha).

So there are some of my tips on doing your makeup in the summer! If you have any tips on summer makeup feel free to leave them below!

Have a beautiful day,

Dre

June 16, 2014

Dre Does a Cover-FX Primer Review

June 16, 2014/ Andrea Fontana

Primers are a very important first step in getting a great makeup application. When I talk about them with people I find that a lot of women think they are hyped up, excessive and unnecessary products that just add to our makeup routines. Most of us are trying to get out the door in the mornings as quickly as possible and the thought of another step seems crazy. However, a foundation primer can completely change the way your makeup looks, feels, applies, blends, and lasts.

Primers have come a long way in the last few years and come in various forms. There are color correcting, moisturizing, and illuminating just to name a few, but my personal favorite of the moment (especially because of the summer heat) is this Mattifying Primer with Anti-Acne Treatment by Cover-FX. It is formulated without Parabens, Mineral Oil, Talc, and Gluten. If you have oily and acne prone skin this is going to be a primer I suggest you try. If you visit your local Sephora which carries the Cover-FX line, you can ask for a sample which will get you a few uses to see if you like it! The ladies at Sephora are very nice about this so don't be afraid to ask!

This was the first product I had ever tried from the brand Cover-FX but I will definitely be checking out more after this awesome discovery. As you can see I bought a small size from the checkout area of Sephora (you know the trap that you always give in to by the registers haha!). The full size is 1 oz. and costs $38. This little baby was literally half the size and only $16 (so yes a much better deal). Full size doesn't always mean it's the best deal!

The thing I love most about this primer is the texture. A lot of primers (i.e. Smashbox Photo Finish and Benefit's Porefessional) have that very silicone-type texture in order to smooth, fill in pores and make you look flawless. However, this primer has a much lighter feel while still having that feeling of smoothness. It's completely clear and leaves no color on the skin so any skin tone can wear it.

I also really love how it makes my makeup last all day. It's waterproof and I feel like it really does combat oiliness. I find that my foundation lasts longer and applies more evenly as well. The anti-acne treatment that it claims on the package is the addition of 1.0% Salicylic Acid. I really like this since I do have acne prone skin. It's awesome that a primer can now treat skincare issues while you're wearing your makeup every day. One thing to be sure of though is to always wear sunscreen when wearing using this primer because Salicylic Acid is an betahydroxy acid (BHA) which can increase your skin's sensitivity to the sun because it gently exfoliates your skin. Anytime you exfoliate your skin you should make sure you're being religious about the SPF.

Have you tried this product before or do you have a favorite primer that you really enjoy? Let me know in the comments because I'm always willing to try new products!

Have a beautiful day,

Dre

April 16, 2014

Dre Does an Ipsy Review

April 16, 2014/ Andrea Fontana

I'm back with a review on my March Ipsy Glambag and it was an awesome bag this month! I only received four products compared to the normal amount of five, but as you'll see in the totals later, this didn't decrease the value of the bag at all. Three out of four of the brands were higher end products which is great to see! Below is a summary of all the products and the bag.

The bag this month was really unique and featured the artwork of the artist Klari Reis. The design was inspired by the neighborhoods of San Francisco and I love the unique print. I think this is an awesome aspect of this months bag!

First product up is the Marvelous Moxie Lipstick by bareMinerals in the shade Get Ready. It's a great natural shade that will look good on most skin tones, as it isn't extremely cool or warm. I absolutely love the formula of this lipstick and would definitely look into purchasing more after trying this mini one. As a typical woman I'm obsessed with the cute little size of this lipstick and I think it's a great shade and size to keep in your purse for everyday wear since it can match any makeup look and outfit choice. This 1.5g mini lipstick is valued at $7.71 (full size is $18).

Next up is the Chella Felt Tip Eyeliner in Indigo Blue. It claims to be water resistant, smudge proof, and stain resistant as well, while being free of parabens which is awesome. While I found all of these claims to be true when I wore it, I did have a problem with the application using the felt tip. When you swatch it on the back of your hand it has great flow and pigmentation, but when you hold it up to your eye to draw a wing like I did, I found the tip didn't get enough saturation so it took a long time to get an exact fine tip to my wing. The color is gorgeous however and I received many compliments on it, so I'll definitely keep testing it out! This is a full size product valued at $24! This brings the total so far to $31.71.

Next I received a Love in Rio Eyeshadow Trio from NYX Cosmetics in the shade Voodoo Love Spells. I really like these shades. It's a great little everyday palette as there are two mattes (the darker shades) and one shimmer (the lightest). While these shadows aren't the most pigmented that I've ever tried from NYX, they are still good for that everyday eye look. This is the full size palette and it's value is $6.00, bringing my bag total to $37.71 so far!

Pixi is a brand that I always seem to swatch and look at when I'm in Target, but due to their larger price tag (for Target) I have never actually bought anything from the line before. I'm a sucker for face primers so I was really excited to see this really deluxe sized sample in my Glambag. It has a great sheen to it but it doesn't make you look oily. It doesn't have that silicon texture that a lot of primers have (i.e. Smashbox photo finish and Benefit's Porefessional) so if you don't like that, I recommend trying this one out. It has a subtle pink undertone to it, but it doesn't show up when blended out on your skin. I really like the smooth texture it gives my skin before applying my foundation. This deluxe sized sample is valued at $9.00 so my grand total value of my March Ipsy Glambag is $46.71! This is an awesome value for only getting 4 products! It's the second highest valued bag that I've gotten so far! Good job Glambag :)