Product Review: TooFaced Eye Shadow Insurance

Hello lovelies! I'm going to try and keep up PRW again - even though we're in the midst of an out of state move, I anticipate having more free time and some of you have been asking for it to come back - so here it is and I'll try to be better at maintaining it. :)

As a make up artist, I want my clients' make up to last throughout the entire day; not necessarily for only a few hours and in the past I noticed that my eyeshadow not only appeared a different color when I applied it to my own lids, but that it also wouldn't last the entire day - not something I wanted to run into with my clients. I recieved "Shadow Insurance" by Too Faced as a gift from Sephora and I absolutely love it! I usually apply it with either a clean finger or a clean small shadow brush - sometimes it appears stripey from the brush - but if you practice you'll find a technique that works for you that will get it applied evenly with a brush. (The faster, easier way is to use your finger though-ring or pinky work best). Shadow Insurance comes out in a beige color which helps the shadows true color pigmentation come out without the yellow or pink tones of your skin coming through. When using this product, make sure that you allow it time to dry a but before applying eyeshadow - the eyeshadow will not blend well if it's applied while the Shadow Insurance is still rather wet and it can also appear uneven/a little clumpy so give it a few seconds to set to avoid that and you'll get a truer color as well as lasting. It is FANTASTIC and helping your shadow last all day without it falling or getting lighter!

This is one product that I consider a MUST HAVE for my kit; it really does make a difference!! 

Bride: Amber

     I was blessed with the opportunity to be a part of Amber's wedding on July 2nd. It was a fairytale. As I drove up the Ortegas, I knew that this was going to be a special day. I arrived at a beautiful home to help assist the bride, who happens to be just as beautiful. As I walked in, the horses were being groomed and prepared for the ceremony and I had the priviledge of seeing all of her little personal touches for her wedding. Amber herself was very calm adn collected; she was definitely ready for this day. I was only able to snap a few shots before the wedding, and she graciously invited me to stay for the ceremony. She rode up in a old Ford truck and when the "I do's" were said, Amber and Nick road away on horseback. It was the cutest thing I have ever seen at wedding.

Lipstick & Loves,
Sara

Beth W.

     I have worked with Beth a number of times. She is always such a joy; very sweet & genuine. Here are a few photos from her most recent photo shoot.

Tropical Sunset: Sarah S.

For the past 6 months or so I have been mainly doing night out or dance make up, so when I had the opportunity to collaborate with Erin Kaye Photography and Sarah S. on a photo shoot I jumped at it. Sarah was such a blast to work with; up for anything and hilarious - there was not a dull moment working with her.

Lipstick & Loves,
Sara

Product Review: Femme Couture Eye Make-Up Remover

Like many women I spend time on my make-up; probably more time than most, but that's another story. One of the biggest issues I have found from talking with my clients and from personal experiance is that eyeliner and mascara are a pain to fully remove. I found Femme Couture Eye Make-Up Remover at Sally's Beauty Supply and decided to give it a shot.
Sally's webiste gives the following product information on FC Eye Make-Up Remover:

• Gently dissolves eye makeup
• Soothing and refreshing
• Oil and fragrance free
  Femme Couture Eye Makeup Remover features a gentle but effective formula that quickly dissolves and helps remove even the most stubborn eye makeup. It soothes and refreshes the delicate skin around the eyes. "

I will agree that it is oil and fragrance free as well as effective; all of which is great news for your skin! However, if you have very sensitive skin like I do, you will find that it is not necessarily smoothing and refreshing. While I've used about 65% of the bottle due in part to it's fantastic effectiveness, it is definitely not soothing and refreshing for sensitive skin. It burns quite a bit and is definitely something I try not to use becuase it irritates my skin so much. If you're looking for something that is effective and gentle, Neutrogena's Makeup Remover wipes are just as effective, though you do have to scrub a bit, but it's still gentle and does not burn or sting the face.

Now, I don't know how this product works on someone who doesn't have very sensitive skin. It may be soothing and refreshing - but I would definitely steer clear of this if you know you have sensitive skin or if you are working on a client.

The answer was posed recently as to what my top 5 beauty must haves are and since this involves products - I figured it would be a good one to post for this weeks Product Review Wednesday. More products, shorter reviews...
SmashBox or Bare Minerals Face Primer.
- It makes my skin feel smooth and moisturized before I apply any kind of foundation or loose powder without it causing my face to become super red and splotchy which my moisturizer tends to do. And it has a really neat texture to it, talc I believe - and I say that purely based off the fact that it reminds me of a lotion my mom used to get at VS that had talc in it.

Unite Eurotherapy Boosta Spray.
-Love love love it! My hair likes to be flat a lot- or maybe it's that I prefer big hair (I do like Texas hair)- , so a few sprays of this and a blow dry and I'm good to go :)
Eyeliner -

 So far my favorite is QuickEyeliner by Clinique, but I'm looking forward to trying MAC's gel liner.


Hello Kitty Lip Conditioner
- I love the way it smells and feels and that it comes in a different colors, so it's not just a chapstick and it's not just a lip tint. It gives you color while moisturizing! And sadly, mine has gone missing - not OK. Luckily, there's a MAC across the street!
Sephora's Atomic Mascara -
My favorite part about this mascara is that it does a great job and keeping your eyelashes separated, even after multiple applications, which I find all of my other mascaras (I have at least 5 different brands) start clumping after the first application.

Product Review: Bare Minerals Foundation

     I'm on a search for the best foundation/powder out there. My "solution" at the moment is to just try it all, so when my MAC liquid foundation and pressed powder was running low, I made the switch to Bare Minerals. The Bare Minerals website, http://www.bareescentuals.com/, says the following about the Bare Minerals foundation:
"Our ORIGINAL SPF 15 Foundation gives you all the flawless coverage you want with a naturally luminous finish that won't clump or cake. It's clinically proven to improve the appearance of your skin over time. The creamy minerals diminish the look of fine lines and wrinkles without drying out your skin. Its silky, soft texture looks like a powder, but feels like a cream and buffs on beautifully. Made with only the purest, highest quality ingredients. It's makeup so pure you can sleep in it.®" I definitely agree that it doesn't clump or cake and I LOVE LOVE LOVE this about BareMinerals! One of my bigger issues with MAC foundation is that I definitely feel like it's cake, however - I have used it in a way that doesn't make me feel that way, but that's for another time. Another great pro - it definitely covers my imperfections and makes me appear as though my skin is flawless, not the makeup. However, there is a down side which I have found to be disappointing - unlike my MAC foundation and powder which last for at least most of the day, I have not had that experience with BareMinerals and that's something that is really disappointing for me. I work with children and when I wore MAC foundation and powder to work, it was still there at the end of the day. Not so much with Bare Minerals - by noon the imperfections of my skin are fully visible, as if I hadn't put makeup on that morning.
After a few days of this happening, I popped in the introduction DVD BareMinerals is so nice to include to re-watch it, under the assumption that this was 100% user error. This wasn't the case. The DVD says that you only need to use a very minimum amount to achieve full coverage. I have not found this to be accurate. In order to elliminate most of the redness of my skin, I have to go over my face 3-5 times and it doesn't eliminate all of the redness, some of it just turns to light pink.
I do greatly enjoy the fact that it doesn't feel oily or heavy like MAC tends to, but I appreciate the longevity of the MAC foundation and powder way more.

So at this point, when my BareMinerals runs out, unless something changes - which I will update on if it does - I will be trying a new brand next go around. MAC is still winning at the moment.