Monday, May 30, 2011

Audrey Hepburn



Was watching a video about the lovely Audrey Hepburn. Who are your style icons?

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Getting ready for a night out

Hey,

So this blog is all about how I get ready to go for a night out – whether it is a party, buck and doe, or just to the movies, I like to spend some extra time getting ready/freshening up my look from whatever else I was doing earlier in the day. What exactly I do depends on how much time I have before I have to leave. I have a playlist on my computer of fun music that I put on as I get ready.

I try to make sure to eat healthy during the day and get in some exercise if I can.

If I have time, I will shower, but if not I will just skip that because then it would take a long time to dry and straighten my hair. I shampoo my hair twice, and leave in conditioner while I get everything else done – wash my face, use both a face and body scrub to get super smooth skin, shave, and use body wash. The body wash I am currently using is from the Body Shop, it is strawberry scented, and I put it on a loofah. I always make sure to exfoliate so that my skin is smooth and that I can get rid of any dead skin cells. I finish by rinsing out all of the conditioner in my hair.

When I get out of the shower, I use a body mist everywhere. It is important that if you do this you use a spray that says all-over body mist or something equivalent. If you use a perfume or eau de toilette it will be way too strong of a scent. I use a Clean and Clear astringent on any oily areas to try to clean that up. Next, I apply Neutrogena Oil-Free Lotion designed for combination skin. Even if you have oily skin, it is important to apply a moisturizer so that your makeup goes on smoothly and your skin is nice and hydrated. My favourite body lotion now is from Victoria’s Secret Pink Aloha Wild and Breezy – it smells like guava and passionflower. I also like Victoria Secret Pink Fresh and Clean (fresh apple and lily) and Bath and Body Works Carried Away (raspberry, jasmine and vanilla). Adding a lotion in addition to your perfume helps your scent to stay longer. I moisturize my face with Clean and Clear Finishes Pore Minimizing Moisturizer. I use Dove Ultimate Go Fresh Revive Deodorant and I switch up my perfume sometimes. Britney Spears Fantasy is my all time favourite; I also like Circus Fantasy, BBW Carried Away and Katy Perry’s Purr. Lastly, I use John Frieda Daily Nourishment Leave-In Conditioning Spray. This works as a detangler, a moisturizer, and a heat protectant. I spray this all over my hair and detangle with a boar bristle brush. I clip up the front with a big claw clip from Sally Beauty Supply (you can buy big packs of them there).

Once I have done all this, the next thing I move onto is doing my makeup. I start with a primer – Too Faced Primed and Poreless is the current one I am using. I apply this all over my face to get a nice smooth base and to help my face from being too oily. Next step is foundation – I use L’Oreal Paris True Match. I would recommend going a little bit easy on your foundation because otherwise if your face gets oily it can turn into a bit of a mess. Next I use concealer (L’Oreal Paris Infallible 16 hour in fair/light) to cover up any blemishes and dark circles especially. These two steps are what I spend the most time on as I like having a full coverage base. Once I put these on, I use Make Up For Ever HD Mist and Fix spray to cement it in place. I finish my base with a pressed powder (Cover Girl). I use the puff it comes with and then I go over it again with a big fluffy brush.

Next thing I do is apply blush. I use either Maybelline New York or a blush that comes in a palette I have. I like to go a bit darker for my blush at night or for a special occasion than I would during the day. I tend to stick with powder for the rest of my products (blush, bronzer, eyeshadow) because having combination skin would make cream products slide right off if I know I’m going to be out for a long time. I use Bonne Bell Blend and Glow bronzer on my cheeks, forehead, and nose mainly but I will do it all over my face.

Now onto my eyes. I make sure when I put on my concealer I apply it on my eyelids to use a base for my eyeshadow. Even for night, I do not use shades that are too dark because I find it makes my eyes look much smaller and it smudges and emphasizes my dark circles. This is the same reason I never use eyeliner. I will use mainly the same shades I mentioned in my work makeup blog – champagne shimmer highlight, pink or light bronze on the lids, and a chocolate brown in the outer corners of the crease. I may go a big heavier with the colors then I would for work though. I definitely finish my eyes with a few coats of waterproof mascara. Because I do not wear eyeliner, I put on more mascara to really emphasize my eyes. Finally, I add some lip gloss – right now, I have been wearing My Favourite Lip Balm by C.O. Bigelow from Bath and Body Works. Lately I cannot stand any lip glosses that have a strong flavour/taste because you reapply it so many times that I just find the taste sickening. So this one does not have a super strong scent, which is nice.

I will not go too much into how I do my hair. I like to straighten it when I have something nice to go to, and I will usually use John Frieda’s 3-Day Straight spray, blow-dry with a boar bristle paddle brush. I am impatient about straightening my hair so I will often get my sister to help me out with it, or at least to do the back. I use John Frieda shine spray and finish it with some hair spray as well.

Now it used to be I would get ready to go out, be happy with my hair and makeup but after being out for awhile I would end up with the inevitable makeup smudges and hair messes. This does not have to happen! You can do some things when you are out to stop this.

The first and maybe most important thing I would say is take it easy on the drinks. If you walk into a party, bar, wherever and spend the night guzzling down as many vodkas/beers/whatever you are drinking, as fast as you can, do not be surprised when you look like a hot mess by the end of the night! What I like to do when I go out is to drink rum and orange juice (I have issues with vodka) and once I finish a drink I alternate that with one that is just plain orange juice. You are still free to drink but it works out to not so many drinks so you feel better in the morning and save yourself some money as well. As well, if you are in an area that is hot and crowded, if possible go out and get some fresh air when you can. It helps to cool you down, and keeping your body temperature lower will help you from getting a bright red face and smudgy eye makeup.

If I am wearing my hair down, I will bring a hair elastic so I can put my hair up if I get hot, or if it is not very straight anymore.

If you are able to bring at least a little clutch there are a few lifesaver products you can bring. Most important is blotting papers. You can get these at the drugstore, one of my favourites is Clean and Clear – they are little blue sheets that will soak up oil without ruining your makeup. You can even just slip a couple of sheets in your pocket without having to worry about bringing a separate bag. If you do bring a bag, I would throw a pressed powder in there too because that will help blot up any oil. Hand lotion is a great multi-use product. A scented one will make you smell better, it helps to moisturize any dry spots, you can use a tiny bit to fix up any uneven areas in your foundation, it can be used as a highlighter for your cheeks, and you can use it for hair flyaways. Bath and Body Works always has cute and great smelling samples that are easy to throw in your purse. Finally, I put in my pocket whatever lip gloss I am wearing that night.

Sample Products to Bring for a Night Out

· Clean and Clear Oil-Blotting Sheets

· Roller ball perfume

· L’Oreal Paris Infallible 16 hour concealer

· Victoria’s Secret Beauty Rush Lip Gloss

· Cover Girl Pressed Powder

· Bath and Body Works lotion

A few last notes – when you get home, make sure to drink lots of water. Alcohol dehydrates you, which is not a pretty look for your skin. Drinking lots of water will also help you to feel better the next day. A multi-vitamin such as One a Day gummies will help you to get in the essential vitamins you need – alcohol also interferes with vitamin absorption. No matter how tired you are, you need to remove your makeup. Leaving on eye makeup such as mascara can cause eye infections and heavy foundation can clog your pores and cause you to break out. At the very least, keep a pack of cleaning wipes (most companies who make face cleansers also make cleaning wipes) next to your bed and you can quickly wipe off your face before you fall asleep.

That is how I get ready for a night out! What products are your go-to products? How do you keep your hair and makeup fresh throughout the night?