Year: 2014

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BRONZING AND CONTOURING

Bronzers and contouring products may seem interchangeable to most, but spoiler alert: they’re not! I think my biggest pet peeve as a makeup artist is seeing people use shimmery or too-orange bronzers to contour their faces, and them not realizing that they are doing the complete opposite of what they’re trying to achieve. The image above is a quick guide on where to contour and where to bronze. The contour is the dark brown and the bronzer is the lighter brown. So, here’s a quick little lesson on the difference between bronzing your face and contouring your face.

The purpose of contouring is the add shadows to the areas of your face you want to slim. You want to sink these figures in to, say, thin your face up. Many contour products tend to be more red/brown-based with NO shimmer in them. So, if you have a round face like me, you would probably contour your cheekbones, and contour your jawline. If you want to make your nose appear slimmer, you would contour the sides of your nose. You can also contour around your hairline, as well. If you add a contour right under your lower lip, you’ll make your lips appear slightly fuller.

The purpose of bronzing is to make yourself appear tanner. When people sometimes mistake you for Casper the Friendly Ghost, bronzers will kiiinda become your best friend. Bronzers tend to be more orange-based, and many have some sort of shimmer in them. You would apply a bronzer wherever the sun would naturally hit you, such as the tops of your cheekbones, temples, bridge of your nose, top of your chin, and the top of your browbone.

Sometimes there are bronzers that are more red/brown-based than orange-based and are completely matte. The Bobbi Brown Bronzer is a great example of that, and is one of my favorite products to contour with. So there are some exceptions to the rule. For bronzers, I’m a big fan of the Milani baked bronzers. And if you’re interested in some related reading, here’s an old post where I break down the difference between contouring and highlighting, along with some of my favorite products to contour and highlight.

Do you have any tips in regards to bronzers and contour products? What are your favorite products to use?

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Following the Monochromatic Trend: Radiant Orchid Edition
Following the Monochromatic Trend: Radiant Orchid Edition

I can’t quite pinpoint when my obsession with monochromatic looks started, but I think it may have started in my graphic design classes in high school when we were forced to create work with a monochromatic color scheme since the printer couldn’t print more than one color. Sometimes monochromatic looks can be out-there and zany, and those tend to be the looks that get the most traction online. So when most people think “monochromatic makeup,” they probably think of shades of cobalt or violet splattered on the face in the most avant-garde way. Well, I am here to tell you it is entirely possible to make monochromatic totally wearable. I swear!

And since Pantone declared “Radiant Orchid” as the color of the year (which is really just a glorified name for the color magenta), I figured I would do a monochromatic look using magenta! And it is super easy to achieve this. For the eyes, I used a shimmery purple base (Chanel Illusoire Illusion D’Ombre), and topped it with a shimmery taupey-purple eyeshadow (Stila Encore Color Pigment). Make sure to blend it well into the crease, and add a light shimmery pink in the inner corners. Add eyeliner (I winged mine out) and mascara, and the eyes are done!

Now for a fun fact: my cheek color and lip color are exactly the same. I used an OCC Lip Tar as my lipstick and my blush. That’s a pro tip! I love how versatile lip tars are. I used the OCC Lip Tar in Lydia, which is this amazing mauve/magenta color, and I am totally obsessed with it as a blush color. When applying a lip tar as a blush, you only need the tiniest amount to blend onto your cheeks. For all my pale girls out there: this shade of blush looks AMAZING on. I was seriously surprised.

And that’s it. So easy! The best way to achieve monochromatic looks is using the same product for your lips and cheeks. Sometimes you can even manage to use the same product on the eyes, too. Depends on how spontaneous you’re feeling, though. Have you ever tried wearing a monochromatic makeup look out? Let me hear your stories!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.…

How To Make Your Lipstick Stay On
How To Make Your Lipstick Stay On

There are a lot of ways to make your lipstick stay put without fading away or rubbing off, and everyone has their own favorite way of doing it. But before I get started on my favorite method, I should mention how important it is that you’re using a highly-pigmented lip color. Sheer lipsticks will not last long. The more emollient the lipstick is, the less likely it will stay put. I have the most success with satin/demi-matte/matte lipsticks, because those stay on. And one more tip: make sure you exfoliate your lips before applying lip color. The smoother your lips, the longer your lipstick will stay on. Now onwards to the tutorial! The lipstick I am using is NARS Heat Wave and the lip liner I am using is Make Up For Ever Aqua Lip #17C. I am all about that coral life.

how to make lipstick stay on all day_ makeup

  1. My favorite method of applying lipstick is by layering. In the first step, I am working a small amount of lipstick into the lips to create a sort of stain. You could also use your finger to push the product into your lips. Don’t worry about being messy- we don’t need razor sharp edges yet… That’ll come later!
  2. After staining your lips, it is time to get a tissue out and blot. You’re going to notice that my method is just layering, then blotting, then layering, then blotting some more. You want to blot to make sure you get any excess lip product off your lips so your lipstick doesn’t transfer onto your glass, or worse… your date!
  3. Apply another layer of lipstick. For the first few layering jobs, I like to use a lip brush to work the product into my lips. Again, you don’t need to worry too much about being too tidy.
  4. Blot!
  5. Next, take a lip pencil that is the same color as your lipstick and begin lining your lips, and filling in your lips. This is where you get precise with your edges. If you make any mistakes lining your lips, just use your concealer to help define your lips further.
  6. Blot!
  7. Now I want the full impact of my NARS lipstick, so I am applying straight from the tube. You can still opt to use your lip brush.
  8. Blot one last time.

how to make lipstick stay on all day_ makeup (1)

And that is all there is to it. I had this lipstick on for 8 hours with only the slightest of fading (I ate multiple times (don’t judge me!!) and drank coffee as well… it was bound to happen!). I know some people like adding a translucent powder to “set” their lipstick, but I’m not a fan of how dry that makes my lips feel. What are some of your favorite methods to make your lipstick last through the day?…