East and West Beauty Trends

If you have been on beauty social media sites lately, (which I know you have because you are reading this) then I'm sure you have noticed that the makeup looks seem very repeatative.  That got me wondering...are these makeup trends the same in other parts of the world?   After doing my research I found that this is not the case, so I decided to show you just how different the makeup trends are.  I am going to compare Eastern trends verses Western trends for you, so here you go!

FACE TRENDS:

EAST- bright, light, even skintone.  Dewy textures that can be achieved from BB creams or cushion foundations. Pale pink and peach cream blushes are applied high on top of the cheekbones to get a nice flush to the face (similair to the color you receive after a quick walk to the car on a windy day)

WEST- medium to full matte foundation coverage.  Heavy contouring to the sides of the nose and the hollows of the cheeks is use to give a very chiseled, defined look, while highlighters are applied to the bridge of the nose and the top of the cheekbones.  Peach blush is applied to the apples of the cheeks to give the appearance of a tan.

EYE TRENDS:

EAST- very light, shimmery shadows are sweaped over the entire eyelid. Liner is applied very thin and very tight against the lashes to give the eye more of a rounded appearance.  Browns and soft black are the most popular shades for liner.  Lashes and lash extentions are just as popular in the East as they are in the West, maybe even more.  The difference however is that they prefer them very straight and seperated with the longest lashes being in the center.  Brows are lightly filled-in to give them more of a straight across look but still maintain a very natural look.

WEST- deep shadows are used to create a smokey lid.  Liner is dramatic and winged out and is usually black.  Big, bold and full are a must for lashes.  They tend to have more of a curve to them and are longer in the outer corners.  Brows are filled-in and have a well defined arch to them.

LIP TRENDS:

EAST- concealer is applied to the lips to soften the edges and give them a thinner appearence.  No liner is used.  Bright, baby pink glosses are applied to the center of the lips and then blended out, like a reverse ombre.  This gives them a pucker pout.

WEST- lips are over-drawn with a nude pencil to give them a fuller appearance.  They are filled in with a matte, nude lipstick.

Overall the East seems to prefer a light and youthful look to their makeup.  The West, well their look is very defined and dramatic.  So are an East makeup girl or a West?  I like to think I'm both, it just depends on the day.  I can't wait to hear you thoughts about all of these trends.  Which ones have you tried or will try?  Which ones are a no go for you?

Love|Makeup|Nails,
Alexis

Beauty Confessions Tag

Hello everyone, hope life is going well.  Today I am participating in a Beauty Tag.

The Beauty Confessions Tag was created by Cassie Hampson, who's blog consists of "beauty, life, and nerdy things.  And the occasional DIYs and Recipes."   The tag consists of 7 questions that have to do with confessing something in the beauty field.  I was tagged by the lovely Ms. Adventures in Makeup, who blogs about her "discovery of makeup and beauty, one adventure at a time."

If you want to participate in the fun, just copy and paste the questions, and be sure to link the to me.

1. What is your biggest beauty product addiction? (Lippies, blushes, highlighter, bronzer, mascara, etc.)

Beauty products in general.  Polishes, shadows, lipsticks, foundation, I just love them all equally, I really do.

2. How many products do you have from your addiction?

Oh man, too many!  1000 polishes and gel polishes, 40 palettes, 100 lipsticks, 20 mascaras, 100 single shadows, 30 blushes.  Like I said, I love products and I wear my addiction proudly on my face and nails.

3. What is one type of beauty product you hate? (highlighters, hairspray, etc.)

Sticky lipgloss, it's the worst.

4. What has been your biggest challenge in beauty? (ex. a technique you learned or leaving a beauty comfort zone)

Starting my own beauty business.  It takes a lot of confidence putting your name out there and the fear that it might go terribly wrong.  However when it does go right and you get those phone calls and emails from people wanting your services, it's the best feeling in the world.

5. What is one beauty comfort zone you don't think you'll leave?

I will any beauty zone because I don't believe in them.  The great thing about nails and makeup is that there are no rules or zones.  You can do wear them however they make you happy.

6. What is one beauty thing you suck at? (ex. eyeliner like cat eye or taking your makeup off at the end of the day, etc.)

I can not marble nail polish to save my life.  No matter how hard I try it just comes out horribly wrong.

7. What is one thing in beauty that you don't understand its hype? (Technique, trend, etc.)

The phrase "on fleek",  i just wish it would go away.

So there you go, I confessed.  Thank you for tagging me Jessica, it's been get reading everyone's responses.  I can't wait to see have everyone else answers these questions.

Love|Makeup|Nails,

Alexis

Love At Second Site

Has this ever happened to you?  You hear about a new product, you're intrigued.  You read up on what this product can do, you get excited.  You see the product in person, you have to buy it.  You finally get it home and use it and you are thoroughly let down.  You are so dissappointed by its results, or lack their of that you just toss it aside and ignore it for months.  Well it has happened to me on more then one occasion, but I have decided to give them a second chance.  Here are three products that I just couldn't wait to try, only to be so bummed by their outcome.  However, after giving them a second chance I can honestly say that we are new best friends!

1.  Stila Aqua Glow Perfecting Primer

I bought this in June when they first launched this because I was sold on its redness reduction but also for it's cooling sensation.  I thought this is perfect for the summer months, but boy was I wrong.  Between the hydrating benefits of this primer along with my sunscreen, it was just too much for my face.  My makeup wasn't setting and it would just slide off my face.

Fast forward to January, and my poor red, dry face needed an extra boost of something and my moisturizer just couldn't do it alone.  So I decided to give aqua glow a second chance, and I'm so glad I did!  It was just what my skin needed.  The redness was gone, the dryness was quenched and my makeup stayed put.

2. Anasatsia Beverly Hills DIPBROW Pomade

When I purchased this product I was sold on how easily it blended, its staying power and its color selection.  Upon using it though I realized just how much I didn't like it.  It felt heavy on my brows and it looked like I had taken a sharpie to my face.

After giving it the cold shoulder for a couple months I decided to give it another try, only this time I tried a different way of applying it.  Instead of using an angled brush I warmed a small amount of the pomade up on the top of my hand and loaded up a spooley brush with it.  I then proceeded to lightly comb my brows in to place with it and "Voila!" I'm in love.

3. Smashbox Full Exposure Palette

I love all things Smashbox, I have never been disappointed, so when they were launching this palette I didn't even think twice about purchasing it.  When I got it home and started using it, I realized it was only okay.  I didn't hate it but I wasn't shouting from the roof tops about it.  So I just put it away with my 8 million other palettes and went on with my life.

A couple of weeks I was reorganizing my makeup, testing out different palettes and shadows and seeing how they photograph.  That's when my love for this palette bloomed, it photographs beautifully !  Every color looked great and everyone can wear these colors.  

So there you have it, my new found loves.  What products have you tried and hated?  Did you give them a second chance?  I would love to hear about your experiences with them and as always let me know if you have questions about a product or if there is one you want me to try.

Love|Makeup|Nails,

Alexis

My Latest Obsessions

Happy November everyone! Today I want to share with you some wonderful products that I have been hooked on throughout the last few weeks. I have twi face products and a nail product for you and they are all about hydration. So enough with the intro, let's see the goods!

Obsession #1: 

Belif- the true cream aqua bomb 

This stuff is amazing! I have always suffered from dry, red, sensitive skin and this product has fixed that. This is a lightweight gel-cream that cools the skin on contact and hydrates like nobody's business. This is an herb blend product that is free of parabens, sulfates, mineral oils, petroleum, dyes and fragrance. Basically all those products that irritate sensitive skin.

Obsession #2:

Dr. Jart+ - ceramidin day tint

Move over bb creams, there is a new sheriff in town! This is a non greasy, tinted hydrating cream. It contains a SPF of 15 and is free of parabens and sulfates.  It also contains this great ingredient ceramide which is a lipid that helps maintain moisture and restore irritated, sensitive skin.

Obsession #3:

Dazzle Dry- quick dry natural nail system

Alright, I'll admit it, when I first heard about this product I was like "oh great,  another long wearing polish that won't last."  Well I was wrong, this system is a game changer!  Dazzle Dry goes on and comes off like regular polish yet it wears like a gel. It will stay on chip free for 7-10 days, sometimes even longer. It air dries in 5 minutes flat, no LED or UV light needed. It is a 6 Free, vegan polish. It contains proteins, calcium and vitamin B5 so it will improve your nails with continued use without drying them out.  Oh and colors, they have 192 shades available.

Well I hope you can see why I love these products and if you would like to know where I purchased them just send me a message.  Also, what products are you currently crazy about, I would love to hear about them. 

Love|Makeup|Nails,

Alexis

Fall Beauty Forecast

The leaves are changing and falling.  People are sipping on their PSL while rocking their ponchos.  This can only mean one thing... fall is in full swing.  With the entrance of this lovely season we have come to embrace weather changes and wardrobe changes but have you changed your makeup and nails?  Well if you haven't yet I am here to give you a look at this seasons best trends for your eyes, cheeks, lips, and tips.

For eyes the big looks I've been seeing are metallic lids and smokey eyes.  I know that these have been both been done before, but guess what... they have made these looks so easy to achieve this time around.  they actually only require one or two products at the most.  The Metallic lid is created using a bronze shadow and apply it to the lid only (pro tip, wet the brush first for a more intense look). My favorite shadow is radar which can be found in Urban Decay's Naked Smoky Palette.  The Smokey Eye is created a liner and shadow in either grey or brown, this makes it less harsh then the classic black making this look more wearable for the day as well as the evening.  Liner both the top and bottom lashes and blend the liner out with a smudger brush.  Apply shadow of your choice and blend, blend, blend (pro tip, the liner does not need to be perfect because you will be smudging it out so that there is no harsh line).  My liner of choice is Urban Decay's 24/7 eye pencil in smokeout.  The shadow I use is password which can also be found in the Smoky Palette.

The trend this year for cheeks is a flushed look.  Gone is the heavy contouring and strobing.  In are cheeks with a hint of rose or peach (pro tip, you want to look like you just came in from a walk on a brisk day).  My favorite product I like to use to achieve this rosy glow is Stila's aqua glow watercolor blush in rosewater. 

Not too much has changed in the lip world, the classic are still shining through.  Red lips and vampy, berry lips are everywhere right now.  To achieve a classic red lip find a liner and lipstick in a shade that works with your skin tone, it doesn't matter if you are warm or cool, everyone can wear red.  My current go to red lipstick is Amplified Oblivion from MAC's Rocky Horror Picture Show Collection.  For vampy, berry lips the process is the same, liner and lipstick (pro tip, make sure you fill in your lips with the liner so that you don't have a noticeable line when your lipstick starts to wear off).  My berry favorite shade has been Black Cherry by Smashbox.

Nails seem to be following along with the makeup trends.  I'm seeing a ton of metallic, jewel tones, and berry tones.  From Essie to OPI, Julep to Dazzle Dry you are bound to find a color you like.

I feel like these are all fairly easy and very wearable trends to update any ones wardrobes.  So which ones will you be trying?  As always I am very interested in hearing about as well as seeing which trends have worked for you.

Love|Makeup|Nails,
Alexis

Monday Mudday

Monday, that dreaded day. It's the back to reality day and nobody likes it. Poor Monday has been getting a bad rap for years but that doesn't mean it needs to stay that way.  How do we change it you ask, with Mud Monday.

Mud Monday is an at home facial. It consists of four steps: cleanse, treat, target, hydrate. I started Mud Monday when I was introduced to the amazing product world of GLAMGLOW.  Glamglow is a line of volcanic mud-based masks originally created for Hollywood actors, musicians and performers as a way to have camera ready skin.  They have six masks that you can work with and they will be coming out with a new one this fall.  Along with masks they also have a cleanser line that is equally wonderful.

Okay let's learn the steps to Mud Monday:

Cleanse by applying a thin layer of POWERMUD to dry skin. Leave on for ten minutes. Wet fingers and gently massage skin to transform the mask from mud to oil. Rinse with warm water and pat dry.

Treat your skin with the mask of your choice. Use SUPERMUD to target, heal and prevent problem skin. For radiant, youthful looking skin use FLASHMUD and if you are looking for a quick fix, professional grade mask, use YOUTHMUD. Apply the mask in a thin, even layer and let it stay on for ten minutes. Rinse off with warm water.

Treat your eyes (they need love too) with BRIGHTMUD. Using one cell per eye, close lid and tap the entire product on the orbital eye and under eye. Leave on for three minutes then gently wipe off with a tissue.

Hydrate your freshly cleansed and treated skin with THRISTYMUD. Again apply in a thin layer. Now depending on your hydration needs you can leave this mask on for as little as ten minutes or overnight then just simply wipe it off with a tissue.

So what do you think, will you turn your Mundane Monday into a Mud Monday? Let me know if you have tried glamglow and if you have what is your favorite product. I can't wait to hear your thoughts.

Love|Makeup|Nails, 

Alexis 

How To Tuesday: Wedding Day Beauty

So my lovely sister is getting married next week and I couldn't be more excited. Not only am I lucky enough to be her maid of honor and stand by side her while she marries an awesome guy, but I also have the privilege to do her makeup and nails for the big day! I have been spending the last few weeks pondering ideas, plowing through books and playing with different looks. I have a running check list of do this, don't do that and I have decided to share it with you. So here it is my Wedding Beauty Dos and Don'ts.

Primer, it's a must! Even if you think your makeup stays all day, trust me it doesn't. You want your makeup to hold up through dancing, toasting, selfies, up until the last photo of the evening and a primer will help you achieve that.

Stay Natural, your wedding day is not the time for electric blue shadows or the latest purple lipstick trend. You want your makeup to look timeless on the big day and in your photos.  One look that never goes out of style: radiant skin, rosy cheeks, pink lips, and a softly defined eye.

Glowing Skin and shiny skin are NOT the same. To control shine, dust translucent powder onto your forehead, your chin and sides of nose. 

Waterproof Mascara is non-negotiable! If you are adventurous add a few clusters of false lashes to really make your eyes pop.

Get a manicure and pedicure, this is self explanatory. Your hands are going to be in pictures and feet are joining the photo group more and more. So do yourself a favor and get your fingers and toes pampered, you can thank me later.

Keep nails simple.  Nothing sticks out more then bright colored nails against an ivory or white backdrop, or in this case wedding dress. Stick with soft shades that are more sheer then chalky. 

That's the list, nothing too overwhelming right?  Also these Dos and Don'ts can work for bridesmaids, moms, and guests too, not just the bride.  I can't wait to hear what you think of my list.

Love|Makeup|Nails,

Alexis