Quick make-up tips

Make up is becoming a new love of mine. We are currently in the lust stage where I can't get enough of it.  

My salon just had educators in this week from TIGI to teach a class & all I could think about was you and the rest of my followers and how I couldn't wait to share!

Well and how I wanted to buy every single thing in the line! 

Although make up is a new love of mine, it is not new to me. I have been doing make up for years now & even used to dabble in airbrush makeup when I had my own on site bridal hair & make up business! 

The beauty industry is ever changing & always updating. So below are some tips and tricks as well as the latest trends in make up this year! 

First of all, when applying make up sit back away from the mirror. No need to press your nose against it (unless your applying eye liner or something tedious) but no one sees your makeup that close up. They are awlays standing a few inches or more away from you- so that's how your make up should be applied so that you see if how everyone else will!

Mix & match! In this blog I will talk about ways to use makeup for different things & apply it to places you never would have thought of! 

Face- 

Foundation is the base to your make up application. You want to make sure you have selected the correct tone that matches yours skin. Don't hesitate to seek professional help for this. 

Use a face primer before applying your foundation! This will help to even out your skin tone, blemishes, and even minimize pore size. 

Aside from selecting the right shade- the type of skin you have is equally as important!

You should take I to consideration your skin type when deciding which type of foundation you want to wear. 

Dry skin: should seek liquid or creme foundations. When you skin is dry you need extra moisturizer in your makeup to compensate for the dryness. It will help give a more flawless look. 

Liquid foundation is what I use primarily since I have dry skin. 

I recently was introduced to creme foundations that come in a compact that looks like a powder but is more blendable and easier to work with at times. 

This is my duo I have been using lately. Rimmel is a drug store line that can be found at most stores, and in my opinion it was one of the more luxury lines for a decent price. 

Combonation skin: can use either creme foundations or a whipped foundation. Whipped foundations are becoming more & more popular. They are light and fluffy and dry almost like a powder but still add moisture. 

Oily skin: is able to use a whip or powder foundation. The whip drys matte and isn't over barring for someone with an oily skin type. 

The tigi whipped foundation actually has and ingredient in it that prevents pores from getting infected and keeps them minimized. It is a great solutions for teens or woman going through menapose as pores are something that changes with  Hormones. 

A major trend right now is that luminous, sun kissed, dewy look! I personally think J Lo does this look best. She always looks like a sun goddess. 

I achieve this look with a few different products. Sometimes in order to get  what, you may have I to break some rules. 

For example- I use this eye shadow pallet I bought at target as a bronzer & highlighter! It doesn't have to just be for my eyes!

This is the bronzed beauty 

quad by Sonia Kashuk!

I just swirl the blush brush around the 3 golden colors (not the dark brow- let's be smart about this ladies, think of your skin tone! I have fair skin so that would be too dark to add into the mix for me)

& I apply it to the high points of my cheekbone, my forehead & lightly on the bridge of my nose. 

You want to think of the places the sun would actually be exposed to so that you look as natural as possible. 

I am sure it may seem silly to rub eyeshadow on your nose- but think outside the box, to get looks you have never gotten. 

Here are 2 other products I use to give myself a luminous glow:

Nars "orgasam" blush. 

NYX liquid illuminator.

Eyes- 

Eyeshadow base is a must! It's like a primer for your eyelids. It helps adhere your shadow as well as making it last longer. 

I often use the eyeshadow base by itself on days I want to look "fresh" & simple. Maybe when I just have errands to run and am not heading into work in need of a full face of makeup! 

Here are my two favorite brands! 

NYX 

I apply both with a concealer brush! 

TIGI

I actually like the TIGI one more. It has an irredecent look to it & naturally high lights your eyelid & brow bone. 

Any eyeshadow primer will conceal dark spots and even out the tone of your skin making your eyes seem wider & brighter 

Once you are all primed & ready to go have fun & experiment with your shadows. 

The biggest thing right now is layering & I don't mean with clothes! 

Layer everything! Especially eyeshadow. 

Here I have layered a silver on top of a black shadow, which would make the perfect color for a smokey eye! 

Here is just the black shadow 

Here you can see how the black looks once I over layer the silver. What a perfect smokey gray!

The more you layer the longer your make up will last! 

Lips- why let your eyes have all the fun? 

You can even use eyeshadow to layer on top of lip stick! I used this duo to create a  gorgeous shimmer lip color...

This is a berry colored lipstick that I layerd the shimmery gold color I have it pointing to in the bottom left corner. 

The left side is the lipstick by itself. 

The right side of this photo is where I layered the shadower over it by just dabbing the loose powder onto my lip with my finger. 

Want your lips to stay all day? Becareful when you blot away!! 

I know I know for years we all have been doing the good ole' kiss the tissue where the lay it in between our lips & press down. 

This actually doesn't take off enough excess product leaving you with lipstick on your teeth later in the day & the next thing you eat or drink is going to start breaking it down and wearing it off! 

The new and improved way takes off just the right amount of product will setting the rest to last all day! 

What you will need: 

A tissue

Brush

And setting powder (my favorite is this high def one by E.L.F. from target) 

Step 1: take the tissue and press it against your open lips. It will stick. 

Step 2: take your blush brush & some loose setting powder and tap it against the tissue pressing it on your lips. 

Viola! 

Try it! You wi be amazed! 

Keep in mind when doing your makeup that if you have a bold lip, keep your eyes simple. If you have a bold eye, keep your lips simple! You want them to compliment each other, not take away from one another. 

Brows- 

I can not stress enough how important your eyebrows are. I have already talked about it and you can check out my tutorial on filling them in here at my previous brow 101 blog!  

They are the frame to your face! If you take nothing else away from this blog- promise me you will just test out filling in your brows. 

The ideal shapping for your brows would be to start about a pencils width from the bridge of your nose and end where your eye end. A great way to find that is to take a pencil and lay it against your eye diagonally pointing up towards your temples! 

Here are the products I like to use to fill my brows with! 

As shown in my brow 101 blog: 

E.L.F. Brow kit 

& Sonia Kashuk gel. 

TIGI's brow powder & wax duo - much like the E.L.F one I use but the darker color in both of these are a wax base allowing the bowser beside it to stick better to your brows! 

The best makeup tip I can give you is experiment! Play around! Try something new! I have gotten into the habit of always doing the same thing everyday! It is nice to switch it up! You will never know if you like something until you try it! 

Shampoo: The 411

Shampoo plays a major role in the integrity of your hair.

There is a lot to take into consideration when choosing the right one for you. 

Buying from the drugstore or grocery store is 

The biggest NO NO when it comes to buying your Shampoo!

Let me explain why:

It's called PRODUCT DIVERSION.

This is when product lines that are made exclusively for salon purposes and professional retail sales make their way into drugstore, super markets, and other unintended stores. 

It is not illegal, however, it is frowned upon. 

I started out my journey in this industry at a Paul Mitchell school and they talked about this often and taught us what to look for when discovering diverted products. 

majority of the time these products are obtained through the "black" market and are either counter fit or older products that they have just added water or other harmful bacteria to in order to fill the bottles again. 

But it is as simple as reading the back of a bottle to determine if it has been diverted! Professional products will say "Only guaranteed when purchased in salon" or "For sale in professional salons only"

The biggest misconception of diverted products is that people believe they have hit that jack-pot when they see Paul Mitchell, The original Moroccan Oil, & others in the aisles of their grocery stores. Most think they are going to get these cheaper than if you were to just purchase from your stylist. 

This is false. Manufacturerer suggested retial prices are usually $10 less than the price listed once it has been diverted. 

You can help decrease diversion by buying your hair care products from a professional salon only.

Everyone loses when you purchase diverted products. 

You are not getting the best quality your hair needs and in case you are not aware, most stylist make a commission off selling products and depend on it to pay their bills.

So why not help your stylist, while helping yourself!

While were on the topic of drugstore products, let's talk about the elephant in the room:

DRUGSTORE SHAMPOO! Rather it be my personal opinion; the worst- Pantene or many others such as Suave, Garnier, Aussie, Herbal Essence, TRESemme, Dove, or L'Oreal you should not be buying it. 

I don't care if it is $5 and your taking the "cheap" way out.

In the long run- you're not! 

Professional hair care lines range from $10-30. You usually get more for your money amount wise, as well as better quality. drugstore shampoos are made up of mostly water which makes them less concentrated, forcing you to use more product each time to obtain the lather and rinse your going for. This will lead you to buying their products more often. 

Totaling in a higher hair care expense by the end of the year. 

Along with being made up of mostly water, in the majority of them (PANTENE SPECIFICALLY) contain a waxy substance that actually is made up of plastic particles. This is the ingredient that leaves your hair feeling "silky smooth", however, you can literally take a razor blade or sharp sided object and scrape along side the hair follicle of one who has been using said products 

and a waxy build-up will be removed. 

As you use the shampoo each time it will just layer and layer the hair, eventually drying it out and not allowing your daily products or hair color to break the surface as easily of your hair follicle. leading to color fading faster and styling products from doing their job to the full potential! 

Some brands however have professional lines that are sold in salons, such as TRESemme & L'Oreal. From personal use I have noticed they are made of better quality than the rest. 

An Important factor to consider is your hair type! This doesn't just mean fine, medium, or coarse. 

You need to take into consideration what you do it to chemically, daily while you style, and what effect the environment has on it as well. 

Below is a general list of the different shampoos that cater to specific needs:

Chemically Treated:

Someone who has colored, permed, or chemically altered their hair. 

Volume:

Normally for someone with fine to medium hair seeking thickness and volume. 

Smoothing:

normally someone with coarse or curly hair wanting a straighter smoother look.

Blonding:

There is nothing worse than a BRASSY blonde! They actually make shampoo that is colored to counter act the brassy tones that naturally happen as hair fades or encounters well-water. Taking you back to kindergarten for a moment; think of the color wheel! Most blonding shampoos you will find are purple or blue. Across from purple & blue on the color wheel is yellow and orange- AKA BRASS!

Red or Anti-Fade:

Red is the hardest color to keep in ones hair if it is not natural. Red colors tend to not have full color molecules in the hair cuticle due to the vibrancy of the color applied. Therefore it doesn't have much to latch on to, allowing it to fade faster than other colors. This is why having a shampoo with red color pigments in it help to keep it lasting longer. They even make shampoos like this for brunettes that come in different tones to cater to your specific color.

Moisture:

When hair is dry due to blow drying, flat ironing, or just humidity this is the perfect solution to add some luster back into your locks. 

Anti-Frizz-

Normally for those with curl or wave looking to help their texture not 'fro out in crazy weather climates. This can also help add moisture back into your hair when it's missing. 

Now, let's talk about this "Sulfate Free" nonsense. Well it's really not nonsense. It makes a big difference in the quality of your hair. There are still some, but very few, hair care lines that don't carry sulfate free shampoo. So before your get your britches in a bunch, just do your research and see if your favorite shampoo brand has an alternative!

First of all- What does sulfate free even mean?

Sulfates overtime will actually dry your hair our and strip your color that you just paid a pretty penny for. I always tell my clients shampoo is like car insuracne. You wouldn't go driving around without it. Using cheap, drugstore brand shampoos on freshly colored hair is pretty much doing the same thing! Yeah yeah yeah, it's not illegal- yet :) 

Sulfates can also lead to frizziness, especially in curly hair.

It may take some getting used to when you make the switch, if you haven't already. Sulfates essentially just serve the purpose of thickening the product and allowing them to lather. Most people feel the hair is not clean if it does not lather, this is false. 

But as you can see why I said, it may take some getting used to.

You can also find sulfates in household cleaners. 

Now I don't know about you- but I wouldn't pour a bottle of Windex or pledge on my head!!

The phrase 'Sulfate free' has been linked to healthier, organic products due to less chemicals actually being in the products now.

Another adjustment when switching to sulfate free shampoo may be the price tag. If you are still a drugstore shampoo buyer, then this will be a large increase in price. However, if you are already using professional hair care daily then you will only notice a couple $ increase. However, I know about a million things I would pay more than a couple bucks for, 

as long as i knew I was making an investment in bettering myself. 

Below are some of my favorite 

sulfate free shampoo brands! 

Awaphui Wild Ginger- this Paul Mitchell shampoo may be the best alternative for you if giving up the lather is whats keeping you from switching to sulfate free! It will have a great lather due to other natural ingredients. Smells AMAZING! & rebuilds your hair from the inside out.

Its a 10- I absolutely love this entire line. 

It's so moisturizing and repairs damage. I can't go a day without it.  

joico Color Therapy- There are still color safe options, and really anything sulfate free should be color safe. But I LOVE this line especially. My hair feels so clean after and always smells so good, because lets be honest- smell is important when it comes to picking a shampoo.

CLARIFYING!

I can not stress the need to clarify ENOUGH. 

These are my top three favorite clarifying shampoos.

Moroccan oil.

Joico.

Malibu: Hard Water.

All three get the job done the first time, smell great, and will help to remove product, hairspray, and shampoo build up. You should be clarifying your hair at least ONCE a week. some of you may be able to get away with every other if you shampoo your hair less. 

The Malibu line however is the Mr. Clean of clarifying shampoos. 

It will strip chlorine and hard water residue. 

My parents had hard water when I was growing up. 

This is a blonde's nightmare.

It increased the amount of brassy tones in my hair. 

Thankfully, my mom is a smart woman. 

She made sure that I had the correct shampoo to keep it squeaky clean 

and bling bling blonde after she paid hundreds of dollars to have it colored. 

I recommend the Malibu line for swimmers, pool rats, & those of you always in the sun.

 Come summer time, all of our hair can need a little extra TLC and this shampoo will get the job done!

Deva Curl- First of all, it's amazing. It makes my POKER straight hair have a little bit of split personality disorder and makes it think it has curl. It will enhance your natural texture and bring out the best curl possible as well as being sulfate free. what more could you ask for?

Joico Smooth curl- This will in fact do the opposite of Deva Curl. 

It helps to smooth out the curl and maintain moisture and 

decreasing frizz ALL while being sulfate free. 

---------------------------------------------------

Lastly, One of the most frequently asked questions I get is...

How often do I wash my hair?

Well if my mom is within a 10 foot radius

 you can hear her smirks & remarks, as I do not shampoo often.

Yes I shower daily. I just tend to shove my hair into a shower cap 

and get a few extra days wear out of perfectly styled hair. 

No but seriously, I probably, on average shampoo every 4 days.

Gross. Ew. blah Blah Blah.

Now Listen ! 

I don't do it without help.

I'm not a greasy mess.

I use dry shampoo or my all time favorite product:

Dust It

(Which I now Have my husband hooked on

& he will most likely kill me when he reads this.)

To get me through those 4 days 

I also  have a routine on how I style my hair in order to 

make it through flawlessly. 

day 1- sleek straight. 

day 2- straight with southern style volume.

day 3- messy beach waves.

day 4- Still curled but half up or in an up do of some sort. 

Here are some of my favorite dry shampoos.

The Schwarzkopf Osis Refresh Dust!

The Kenra Platinum Dry Shampoo

Poo on!

xoxo- 

Molly 

Tease FREE Volume

Volume!

What all women want!

Especially if you are like me & have thin, fine, barley-there hair!

There are TONS of ways to create volume in your hair without having to tease it. 

Teasing over time can be rough on your hair, and at times a bit challenging to even do. 

In this blog I am going to cover a few things:

1. How to curl your hair to achieve a beachy, wavy, lived-in look!

2. Tips & daily tricks to create volume without creating a rats nest!

3. Products that are going to assist you in getting the volume you want!

Beachy Wave Tutorial:

This is my attempt at my first VLOG!
Hope Ya'll Enjoy!

Curling your hair is an easy way to add volume!

No Teasing Tips:

1. The base for good volume all begins with the blow dry! When drying the hair you want to make sure

that the root is lifted away from the scalp. This can be achieved by turning your head upside down and pulling the hair at the root away from the scalp with your fingers. However, my favorite way to get the height I'm looking for in my blow dry is to over-direct the hair. 

For Example:

(Yes my hair is already dry, but work with me here)

In the photo I have taken the hair from my left side and over-directed it on top to the right. 

I would then focus the heat from my dryer at the root. Once you comb it back down to where it 

naturally falls you will see the lift at the scalp creating volume!

2. curling or flat ironing can also  help you create volume. 

Going back to my cosmetology days there is a technique called "on-base" & "off-base" curl. 

"on-base" is when you use the iron and start at the scalp pulling the hair straight up before you go into making a curl or straightening your ends. The heat activation at the scalp pulls the hair of it more and allows it to stand up giving you more volume. 

"Off-Base"  is when you start further away from the scalp allowing the hair to lay sleek against your head and then create a curl or whatever style it is your trying to achieve. Below are pictures of what on-base & off-Base curls look like. You can also create this look with a flat iron when your are straightening your hair, depending on how close to the scalp you apply the heat.

This is an On-Base Curl

This is an Off-Base Curl.

3. One of my favorite ways to create a faux tease iS to use two simple things! 

-My fingers

-Hairspray!

If you dig your fingertips into your scalp and rock them out in a wave motion, holding the hair high above your fingertips, you can use your other hand to spray that hair in place. The key is it allow it to set, so keep your fingers there for 30 seconds until the hairspray drys, then release! Voila- volume!

Product Must Haves:

My top 3 volumizing products are must haves when wanting to create volume. Especially for those of you with thin, poker-straight hair like mine. Volume is something you have to create daily. 

It is NOT going to be given to you by a certain haircut. Yes adding layers HELPS, but it does not Fix the issue over night. 

1. Starting when the hair is wet is KEY to creating long lasting volume. It establishes that base for the volume to sit on all day. I recommend a root lifter or moose before you dry your hair. Root lifter will help you when blow drying, how I directed you above to get the most volume quickly. Moose will help it to last all day. 

My favorite Root Lifter is: The Root Lifter from the minardi Line. You just spray it onto the root and massage it in before blow drying & it will help perk it up!

My favorite Moose is: The abundance foam from the minardi line. It is so light weight you can't even feel it in your hair, however it does the job & it does it well! These two products make the perfect duo!

2. This product is Magic! If you don't have it, by the end of this blog you are going to be running to my salon to buy some! Which ps- it's ONLY $24! It lasts forever & you will want it asap!

It is called "dust-It"  and it is made by Schwarzkopf. It's called Dust it because that is literally what you do! Below is my tutorial on how to use it!

Separate the hair into sections.

dust it on at the root. It comes out looking like baby powder. Don't be alarmed it will not dry white. 

Massage into the scalp & your done!

it will give you 24 hour volume and the illusion that you have teased your hair. 

My favorite thing about this product is that as they day goes by, you can just massage it back into your scalp & it will lift right back up! It will also act as a dry shampoo and allow you to go a couple more days without shampoo!

3. HAIRSPRAY! Makes a world of difference. Every time you ask Me, I am going to tell you that my favorite is Kenra 25 Volume Spray! However I was recently introduced to the Moroccan Oil Luminous Hair Spray. It is super light, not sticky and crunchy. & The best part- it smells amazing just like the rest of their products!

Volume Don'ts!

- No Gel! I don't care if it has the word volume in it! Gel is heavy. When creating volume you want to use lighter based products so that the hair is able to lift. That's the whole point isn't it?

-Don't be shy. There is no such thing a too much volume. I know when it comes to my thin, fine hair the more the better! it WILL fall as the day goes on, so the higher I make it to start with, the better and longer it will last through-out the day. But I may have to spruce it up if I'm going out after work that night.

-No but cracks! I know some of your know what I am talking about! Teased or not, check the back of your head before you walk out of the house! Its not cute when your hair splits at the crown creating a "butt-crack" effect. & The person behind you in line at the grocery store doesn't want to stare at a rats nest. So just because it looks cute from the front, doesn't mean it does from behind!


xoxo-
Molly.