Day 12 of The Great Makeup Challenge

   

 

Day 12 of 365 of The Great Makeup Challenge: Pink and Multifunctional. In honor of October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I am dedicating my second week of The Challenge to pink makeup! We are all busy. We all have days when we have need to go, go go. With these days in mind, I challenged myself to create a look that could see me through the day. I needed something multifunctional, and this is what I came up with. So here are my tips on how to start your day and make modifications in five minutes to go from running errands to going out on the town.

Also, today is the inaugural day of my Wednesday Product Reviews! From this point forward, every Wednesday I will review a different product. I'll score it on a standard school grading system: "A+" for utter perfection and "F" for utter failure. Today, I'm trying out and reviewing a BB Cream. Have something you want me to try out and review? Send me your ideas via reply post or Email Me!


What you will need:

• BB Cream (Today I tried out Boscia B.B Cream SPF 27 PA++ )
  
• Concealer (If you haven't figured it out by now, I HIGHLY recommend Benefit Erase Paste!)
  
• Powder (Sephora's Mineral loose powder today)
  
• Bronzer (Today I used Lancome Star Bronzer Poudre Soleil Sun-Kissed Bronzing Oil-free Powder in Bronze Solaire)
  
  
• Highlighter (I used Wet 'n' Wild MegaGlo Illuminating Powder in Catwalk Pink )
  
• Shimmery, pink blush (I used Benefit Cosmetics Boxed Powders Collection Coralista blush)
  
• Shimmery pink eyeshadow (I used NYX Cosmetics Loose Pearl Eye Shadow in Very Pink Pearl)
  
• Dark matte brown, medium pink-brown, and neutral shimmer eyeshadows (I used Chanel Les 4 Ombres quad eyeshadow palette in No. 85 Demure)
  
• Brown inner rim eyeliner (I used Tarte emphasEYES High Definition Inner Rim Eye Pencil in Brown)
  
• Dark brown eyeliner (I used Wet n Wild Brow & Eye Liner in #652 Dark Brown)
  
• Mascara (I used Benefit Cosmetics BADgal Waterproof Mascara in Black)
  
• Pink tinted lip balm (Pulled out my new favorite Hello Kitty Apple Balm for today)
  
• Shimmery, medium or dark pink lipstick (I used Estee Lauder Pure Color Crystal Lipstick in Passion Fruit #354 )

Instructions:

For my base, I thought I'd try out something new to me that definitely takes the multifunctional approach: BB Cream. What is BB Cream? I had never heard of it until a few months ago, but internationally it has been a go-to beauty product for decades, especially in Asian countries. Wikipedia has a quick overview of what exactly it is, but it boils down to this: "BB Cream is an all-in-one cosmetic beauty and skincare product. Depending on the brand you choose, this cream can act as foundation, concealer, sunblock, and moisturizer all in one go." (Courtesy of Squidoo) It seemed to fit my multifunctional challenge just fine, so I gave Boscia's B.B Cream SPF 27 PA++ a try in place of my regular base. It did give a nice coverage, but it wasn't concealing enough for my under eye circles (I expected this), so I added some Benefit Erase Paste. Even though I applied a thin layer of this BB Cream, it left my skin a bit tacky to the touch. In a way, this acted as a plus as a primer for the rest of my makeup, but my skin felt off all day. Additionally, as you will note in the photo set from today, it left my skin a bit TOO shiny, although it did control oil all day long. To try to counteract the shine and the tackiness, I swept a light layer of Sephora's Mineral loose powder over my entire face. Even so, I was not overly enthused with my skin's texture and sheen for the day. I am still willing to try other BB Creams, but this one just wasn't a great fit for me. Wednesday Product Review: I'm giving the Boscia BB Cream a "B-." It had some benefits, but left me wanting more. 

No matter what base you choose, here's my guide from today's challenge on how to take your look from daytime errands to nighttime glam:

For Running Errands:

After applying my base, I contoured my cheeks by working bronzer into the hollows of my cheeks under the cheekbones from the center of my cheeks up toward my hairline. I then also applied the bronzer under the jaw line to add definition. I highlighted the tops of my cheekbones and then applied a shimmery pink blush to the apples of my cheeks for a soft glow.

For the eyes, I decided to do a pink and brown smokey eye. Before you give up on me here, I want to break through some mental barriers that people have when they hear 'smokey eye': (1) EVERYONE, yes, EVERYONE can do a smokey eye; (2) a smokey eye does NOT have to be relegated to shades of black; and (3) a smokey eye can be worn during the DAY. I'm serious. Forget everything you thought you knew about a smokey eye, and let me show you how it's done. First, smokey eyes are not as complicated as they sound. You can do a smokey eye, but start simple and practice until you find what works best for you. Second, try a smokey eye in any color you want, and even try out mixing colors! A colored smokey eye can be ten times sexier, and more surprising, than the go-to black smokey eye that has become so prevalent. Finally, a subtle smokey eye can work wonders during the day, without making you look like you were out all night and went straight to work. 

That's the point of the eyes today. In sticking with our pink theme for Breast Cancer Awareness, I knew I had to work pink into my smokey eye, and I've always been a fan of using pink and brown together. First, I lined my inner eyes with a brown inner rim eyeliner inner rim eyeliner à la Moody Makeup. For my eyeshadow, I picked a quad eyeshadow palette quad eyeshadow palette that covered the varying shades of brown I needed for the challenge and to stick with our multitasking theme. I started by applying a neutral shimmer eyeshadow from the crease to the brow bone and adding a touch of same to the inner corners of the eyes. I then applied my shimmery pink eye shadow to the eyelid from the inner corner the center of the eye. I followed with the pink eye shadow along the bottom lashline from the inner corner to the center of the eye as well. Moving on to my dark matte brown shade, I applied same to the eyelid from center of the eye to just past the outer corner, as well as along the bottom lashline from the center of the eye to just past the outer corner, meeting up with my top line. I finished the eyeshadow by working a shimmery, medium-pink brown eyeshadow in the crease of the eye. To soften the shadow and lend to the smokey look, I gently blended any sharp lines on the entire eye with my finger tip. I then lined the top lashes with a dark brown eyeliner, smudging same to eradicate any sharp lines. I finished the daytime eye look with a coat of black waterproof (to carry me through sweat, rain, and anything else that could ruin my makeup during the day!) mascara to my top lashes. 

To finish my daytime errands look, I applied pink tinted lip balm to my lips for a subtle touch of color that mutitasked by moisturizing my lips throughout the day.

On a style note, I let my hair run a bit wild by simply pulling it back in a soft fabric headband. The weather was not on my side for stick-straight hair (hello, rainy day!), and there was no point in fighting my hair all day. I threw on simple earrings, a couple of bangles and comfortable rings. My style was all about comfort and function, but as you'll see momentarily, it was strategically planned to easily guide me into my night look.

The Five Minute Change-Up for a Night on the Town:

 

Okay, so let's say you've followed the steps above, run around all day doing errands, going work, etc., and now you find you only have about five minutes to get ready for a night out, whether it be for happy hour, an event, or even a date night. What's a girl to do? Here's what:

(1) Add a little more 'smoke' to your eyeshadow: add more of the dark matte brown eyeshadow to the outer corner of your eyes, softening with your finger tip. Up the vamp by swiping another coat of mascara to the top lashes and one coat to the bottom. (Total time, depending on experience: 1 - 2 minutes)

(2) Add another swipe of your shimmery pink blush to the apples of the cheeks, and work it up the cheekbone. (Total time: 30 seconds)

(3) Add a quick coat of a shimmery, medium or dark pink lipstick to finish your makeup. (Total time: 15 seconds)

(4) Do a quick change, ditching your day clothes for a quick slip-on dress and heels. Change out your simple earrings for something more dramatic. (Total time: approximately 2 minutes, depending on how fast you move!)

(5) Pull out that soft fabric headband, flip your head over, fluff your hair a bit at the roots for volume, and flip it back. The bonus of the fabric headband all day? It trains your hair to stay back from your face without the need for hair products. (Total time: 15 seconds)

(6) Run out the door and enjoy! 

Try it out, and let me know how it works for you! Share your photos and experiences, show me your best pink makeup for Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Post your photos, ask any questions you may have, or share any ideas you want me to try our via reply post or Email Me!

See you tomorrow for Day 13 of The Great Makeup Challenge!

 

Note: All products I recommended above are available from Sephora, Ulta, your local department store, your local drug store, or through Amazon.com.

Day 6 of 365 of The Great Makeup Challenge

 Day 6 of 365 of The Great Makeup Challenge: Gym-Proof, Sweat-Proof, Life-Proof Makeup. Really, it is possible!

What you will need:

• Tinted  moisturizer (Philosphy’s The Supernatural remains my highest recommendation.  You’re really looking for something that will be light enough to not make you sweat while giving you natural-looking coverage)
  
• Concealer (Still swear by Benefit’s Erase Paste)
  
• Powder (I recommend Sephora’s Mineral loose powder)
  
  
• Cream Bronzer (I used Lancome’s Star Bronzer Cream-to-Powder Bronzing Veil in 01 Dorè)
  
• Cream Blush or a Cheek Stain (I used Benefit’s Benetint rose-tinted lip & cheek stain, which helped serve double duty on my lips and cheeks)
  
  
• Cream eyeshadow (I used Make Up For Ever’s Aqua Cream Waterproof Cream Color)
  
  
• Waterproof eyeliner for around the eyes (I swear by Sephora’s own brand in the Flashy Liner Waterproof line, which I used 07 flashy copper today)
  
• Waterproof eyeliner for the inner rims (I used Pop Beauty’s in-liner in No. 1 Black and Tarte’s emphasEYES inner rim brightener today)
  
  
• Waterproof mascara (Maybelline’s Lash Stiletto Voluptuous Waterproof mascara in black was my pick of the day)
  
  
• Lip stain and tinted lip balm (Today was a combination of Benetint lip stain as noted above, and Hello Kitty Apple Balm)

Instructions:

After nearly a month of miserable rain with only a few breaks of sun, we received a beautiful dose of sunshine and mild temperatures (60s!) today, and I was inspired!  It brought to mind days in the sun and sweating off makeup, leaving me looking peaked and, well, like a raccoon.  As I thought about this, I also thought about the days dodging into the gym, hoping not to run into anyone I know, as I had gone without makeup to prevent the inevitable mess.  I know I’m not alone in this.  We’ve all been there.  We’ve done our makeup only to have it demolished, or gone without to avoid the end result only to run into everyone we don’t want to see (when we’re makeup-free, of course).  So today I challenged myself to piece together a simple, clean makeup look that would survive the gym, the sun, and any other sweat-producing activities, while still maintaining a natural glow.  The added challenge?  Not to look like that one Barbie doll at the gym who comes in with her face plastered in makeup.  I was thinking simple, lasting makeup that can take you through the day, even if that means running errands or running after kids.  After all, life brings us sweat, but we can look pretty when doing it!

The key to the base for this makeup is in your moisturizer.  The lighter, the better.  After all, I know heavier moisturizers tend to make me sweat even more.  Once again, Philosophy’s The Supernatural tinted moisturizer is my go-to for such a situation.  It’s light, moisturizing, evens out your complexion, and gives you a dose of color without a heavy foundation.  I applied my standard concealer à la the Five Minute Wake Up Makeup instructions, as well as a light dusting of powder all around to help set everything. 

I still wanted to contour my cheeks, but in this case I opted for a cream-to-powder bronzer under the cheekbones.  Why the cream?  It has more staying power, and with the cream-to-powder option, it dries to a light finish.  For a rosy, flushed glow, I used Benefit’s Benetint rose-tinted lip & cheek stain on the apples of my cheeks.  The key to applying any cheek stain is to apply it one cheek at a time, blending it into the apples of the cheeks before it begins to dry (which can leave unpleasant streaks).  I personally add a little at a time, allowing it to dry and adding another coat if necessary to reach the perfect shade.  I opted for a cheek stain, as it does just what it says it will: stains the cheeks, staying in place all day long.  The bonus of Benefit’s Benetint is that it doubles as a lip stain, so I swiped a quick coat on my lips, allowing it to dry while I moved on to my eyes.

In place of eyeshadow, I opted for Make Up For Ever’s Aqua Cream waterproof cream color for a soft, budge-proof glow along my lids and the crease.  You can also opt to use this as your blush instead of a stain.  I then lined the inner rims of my top lids with Pop Beauty’s in-liner in No. 1 Black, followed by Tarte’s emphasEYES inner rim brightener along the bottom inner rims.  Both stay put, and the black on top adds definitions to the eyes, while the light color on bottom helps to brighten the eyes up.  (Check out my Moody Makeup post for inner rim lining tips!)  I followed this up with Sephora’s Flashy Liner Waterproof eyeliner in 07 flashy copper in a thin line around the entire eye, adding a bit more in the inner corner of the eye.  This pretty, coppery eyeliner not only stays put, but it also adds to that ‘inner glow’ look.  I then finished off my lashes with Maybelline’s Lash Stiletto Voluptuous Waterproof mascara in black on my top lashes to open up my eyes and add definition.

Finally, I finished off my lips with Hello Kitty Apple Balm, a tinted lip balm that serves double-duty as a balm and a bit of pretty color.  You can substitute any colored lip balm that you prefer.  I personally opt for the balm as my lips tend to dry out in the sun or at the gym, and touching up my lips while moisturizing is ideal.
Essentially, today’s look was simple, but it had staying powder.  Opting for products that will last and even do double-duty can help you make it through your day without the need for constant touch-ups.  It’s a few simple makeup steps that can see you through the day, no matter how tough it may be!

Post your photos, ask any questions you may have, or share any ideas you want me to try our via reply post or Email Me!

See you tomorrow for Day 7 of The Great Makeup Challenge!

Note: All products I recommended above are available from Sephora, Ulta, your local department store, or your local drug store.