Wake Up For Makeup

09/26/2016

Full face elf tutorial

If you have a Gordman’s where you live, you likely already know that their home goods section is pretty killer and and their pet section? Well, don’t even get me started. But, did you know they also have makeup? I didn’t, until I got to collaborate with e.l.f. Cosmetics and Gordman’s to create a homecoming-ready look. Not only is this look perfect for fall but totally affordable too! Gordman’s has a really legit e.l.f. display that will delight all my makeup ballers on a budget .Behold all the e.l.f. beauty bargains, just begging to go home with you.
Shades like purple and burgundy make green eyes even more mean green.
The photo above is me thinking about homecoming dances past. Most were beyond lame, involving cool events like my boyfriend dancing with other people, not being able to dance because I had a stress fracture from cross country and wanting to break up with someone I had just started dating because I was shocked at how bad his dancing was. I am almost certain your Homecoming dance will be better than all of mine.
PRODUCTS USED

Daily Hydration Moisturizer I love this as a foundation primer.
Cover Everything Concealer-Corrective Yellow This color corrects and conceals really well but the texture can be an insane slip-n-slide situation so beware. I recommend skipping this one.
Mad for Matte Eyeshadow Palette This is such a perfect all-matte palette. I actually used one of the shades to fill in my brows too and it was a perfect match!
Intense Ink Eyeliner This is one of the easier to use felt-tip liners I’ve tried.
Smudge Pot Cream Eyeshadow-Wine Not These make great shadow bases or stand-alones.
Eyeliner & Shadow Stick The liner side is nice and when you want to do a smoky eye, flip it over to the shadow side.
3-in-1 Mascara A nice, well-rounded mascara at a great price.
Natural Lashes You’ll definitely want to trim these prior to applying.
Beautifully Bare Foundation Serum This would be great for someone with dry skin looking for light to medium coverage.
Perfect Finish HD Powder Nice for touch ups but leaves a white cast if you aren’t careful.
Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder in St. Lucia The bronze shade doubles as a great eyeshadow transition color in the crease
Illuminating Palette This has very little shimmer so you’ll need to press, not sweep it on.
Matte Lip Color in Tea Rose The color says rose but it’s more of a lilac on me and I love it!

This look would pair well with any color of dress but would be especially pretty with deep berry, navy or classic black. Have an an awesome time and may your date be a good dancer 😉

Thank you to Gordman’s for sponsoring this post.

09/22/2016

Best Milani Products

I first discovered Milani products years ago at Target, where it is sadly no longer available. I was always curious about the fancy gold packaging, the Italian name and their Luminoso Baked Blush that people were raving about. It was perpetually sold out so I grabbed Rose d’ Oro instead and have loved it ever since. Milani is not only really affordable but cruelty free-certified by both PETA and The Leaping Bunny Program. Win freaking win.

Milani’s Rose d’ Oro baked blush is such a beautiful shade. I know people love Luminoso for it’s similarity to NARS Orgasm but I honestly think Rose d’ Oro is such a win, I’m not all that curious about it anymore. It literally means rose gold-hello?! The subtle vein of gold throughout is just enough to add glow but not enhance pores or texture. It applies smoothly and blends beautifully, no skipping or chalkiness. When I don’t want to think about my blush color, this is what I grab.
I’ve also fallen in love with Milani’s Color Statement Lipliners in both Spice and All Natural. These smooth-applying pencils are in wood casing, which I prefer honestly for their ease of sharpening. I am wearing Spice here. They are both more peachy brown nudes and Spice is super pretty on women of color.

Recently, I tried out Milani’s Fierce Foil liner and quickly added it to my love list. I love cake liners, but they’re hard to find so I loved seeing Milani do this format. Though I think foil is a strong word, I’m glad because it’s totally wearable for everyday and not sparkly or shiny at all. If you feel like an idiot applying eyeliner, try this. Don’t necessarily try it with the included brush which is kinda crap, but a thin angled brush instead. It glides along the lash line and because it’s not a liquid or pencil, it looks soft, smudged and natural. I never use pencil or liquid liner on the bottom lash line but this I do. It looks subtle but still defines the lash line.Milani’s Bella Eyes Gel Powder Shadow is a product I bought specifically because I wanted to touch it. I mean, look at it. But after I touched it, I actually used it on my eyes and loved it. The color Bella Bronze is totally copper to me but I love it. It applies great with a brush or your finger, has great pigment and no fallout. I am wearing it here.

I hope you check out Milani if you haven’t because I think you’ll dig it too. Thanks for reading 🙂

PRODUCTS MENTIONED
Milani Baked Powder Blush, Rose D’Oro • $7.49
Milani Bella Eyes Gel Powder Eyeshadow • $3.99
Milani Color Statement Lipliner • $2.19–3.99
Milani Fierce Foil Eye Liner • $6.99

09/20/2016

Your Name Pro Branded Lip Products

It’s heeere! My Your Name Pro shipment recently arrived, all shrink wrapped and Savanah Jane-d up. First, I let out a little shriek and then began opening the products, swatching, smelling, and verifying. Next, I set aside a portion of the inventory to photograph, some for personal use and the shades I will be using most in my kit. I put those lip colors into a refillable lip palette that allows me to carry all of my shades without having tons of lipstick tubes in my kit.

One thing to note on the lipsticks is that if you’re planning on renaming the shade names, you’ll need to purchase and affix those labels over the default ones on the bottom of the tube yourself. At this time, I’ll just be using the color names as is. Should I want to custom label the shades in the future, I will need to design and print labels and stick those over the current label on the bottom of the tube.

The lip liners were the product I was most blown away by and I am really enjoying those. A few of the colors were a tad different than what I thought, but overall, they’re the best lip liners I have worked with and I love using them in my kit. They are truly waterproof, smooth-applying and vividly-pigmented. They have no scent either so that’s a bonus for me.

In addition to lipsticks, I also ordered Lip Glosses as I find their tube packaging to be most hygienic and offer the most bang for your buck. These are not included in the samplers I tried but I went for them anyway. I inquired about the scent of the glosses and was told they were not minty or vanilla but more fruity. When I smelled them, I was uncertain about their scent, but I’ve gathered feedback from clients who say they don’t smell it once it’s on. This is a testament to starting your line small and seeing what your clients think before ordering more.

Now that you have your product in hand, it’s time to start selling it. You can choose to do this in person or online. I’m viewing the Savanah Jane line as an extension of my artistry business, catering primarily to brides and special event clientele, therefore retailing to them in person 99% of the time. However, I know that a lot of you are curious about setting up an e-commerce site so I’ve set about doing that to show you how that might work. Plus, it will be in place should I find there is a demand within my customer base for online retailing.

Here are the 3 simplest ways to go about setting up an online store:

1. If you already use Squarespace for your website, you can add a commerce page to it or create a completely new online store site.

2. If you already accept payments through Square, they have an online store feature. This is what I’ve chosen as I take all my payments on location via Square and can easily ring up Savanah Jane products in addition to their makeup application.

3. Shopify is one of the more robust options and will offer more tools for those of you who want to experiment more.

You can purchase a domain name and redirect it to your Squarespace or Square store. This is what I did and it works really well.

Once you choose your selling platform, you’ll want to gather your product images. I photographed actual swatches of the lipsticks. Swatch photos are so important for a purchaser and something I personally appreciate when buying makeup online. I also described the colors and noted what their finish was, as in cream, matte or shimmer.

I found that putting together a lip line as large as mine posed some challenges, of course. I didn’t test each shade, so some were not quite what I expected. I suggest starting small with your first order, so as not to become overwhelmed by the amount of options. There is a 96 piece minimum per product packaging type but concentrate on maybe 5 colors to start out, instead of ordering 10+ right out of the gate like I did! I definitely recommend ordering a sampler of the products you’re interested in. You are also able to place 1 piece orders as long as you meet an overall $150 minimum, so I suggest doing just that for the colors you are unsure on.

Another tip is that if you are in the New York metro area, you can make an appointment to visit the Your Name Showroom, which I would highly advise you do. It could save time and money! Your Name Pro also hosts Open Houses, Seasonal Trend Presentations and Master Classes for customers and potential customers across the country so check the schedule to see if there is one near you.

After using my product on clients, I can distinguish which colors I’ll want to definitely order more of. Pink Truffle, Melrose and Enchanting lipsticks are big hits so far! The Naked lip liner is one of those that works on everyone and has quickly become a go-to. I’ve loved using the Bare and Nude glosses to dial down the pink in a color or just create that perfect nude lip that clients ask for.

I hope that this post has been helpful and informative and assists you further in your #PrivateLabel101 journey. Make sure to check back for the last post, showing the Savanah Jane line products in action. I hope you love seeing them on my gorgeous clients as much as I do! Thanks for reading. Smooch!

This post series is sponsored by Your Name Professional Brands.

09/15/2016

Best cream eyeshadow

My favorite part of makeup application is doing my eyeshadow but that doesn’t mean I always have the time to dedicate to it. These 3 cream shadows are so good they can stand alone. From lash line to crease, they provide a gorgeous wash of saturated color in no time at all. Best of all-they apply best with your finger! No brushes needed and you’re out the door looking fly AF. Eyeshadows described clockwise from top.
MAKE Molten Eyeshadow in Bronze Though the color is called bronze, I would describe this eyeshadow as more of an antique gold. It has a slight olive shift to it. It has a whipped texture that applies smoothly and evenly and minimal creasing when applied over an eye primer. If you’d like to see how it looks on, go here.

Colourpop Supershock Eyeshadow Shown here in Stereo, but my all-time favorite is Nillionaire, which I can be seen wearing here. These are the cushiest little eyeshadow dreams for $5. The shimmery shades are full-payoff metallic and do wonders for your lids. They apply like a cream and dry down to a powder. You can’t afford not to try them really!

Mizon Jelly Eyeshadow in Pink Beige I first tried this K-beauty gem courtesy of Peach & Lily and boy am I glad I did! This shadow has gone on to become my go-to cream eyeshadow of all time. I’ve never used a cream shadow that applied so silky and smooth with no chunkiness, creasing, nada! The Pink Beige would look gorgeous on literally any eye color but they also have silver. See it on here.

MAKE and Mizon eyeshadows provided for review purposes. No financial compensation was received and all opinions expressed are my own.

09/13/2016

Glossier Review

Glossier is like the cool new restaurant in town that every foodie was raving about and there I was, standing outside the door all, “I’ve never tried it…but I hear it’s good!” A few Glossier items I’d been wanting to try were finally back in stock so I snatched them up and slam dunked them into my online cart. I only have 2 Glossier products, Boy Brow and Coconut Balm Dotcom, because everything else was out of stock, but I wanted to give you a quick review of each for the mean time.

Boy Brow in Brown
This reminds me a lot of Benefit’s Gimme Brow except way more affordable and cruelty free. It’s my go-to for create polished brows that boys like. By that, I mean that you certainly won’t be sculpting Instagram brows with this. This is a great product for low maintenance girls. It leaves brows subtly defined without feeling crunchy. It was inspired by mustache wax and I can totally see that in it’s more pomade-like texture. This is one brow product you can probably use in traffic. I used it in this tutorial if you’d like to see it on!

Coconut Balm Dotcom
I’m one of those weirdos who actually loves coconut water so I love the scent of this. It’s not an artificial scent; you know that suntan lotion type coconut. It’s a truly nutty coconut scent that isn’t too sticky sweet. I have been using this every single night before bed and I love it’s petroleum jelly texture but it’s way cooler. It has castor seed oil, beeswax and lanolin-all amazing ingredients for soothing and hydrating . You can use balm dotcom on other dry areas besides lips too. Try smoothing some over your brows and cheekbones in a pinch! I can’t wait to try the mint version next!

I love Glossier’s packaging, overall vibe and cruelty free, paraben-free products. They make makeup and skincare simple and approachable, two things I think we could all use more of in the beauty industry. I totally dig their presentation, including a reusable pink bubblewrap pouch, stickers (omg stickers!) and a poster! Now off I go to scoop up some Generation G and Haloscope!

09/13/2016

Baby Quasar Pure Rayz

Today’s post begins with a story about NASA, which I assure you is a first on this blog. In the 70’s and 80’s, NASA observed that gravity slowed everything down in space, including healing in their astronauts. Gravity is a bummer y’all. Luckily, NASA is kind of smart and found that red light not only sped up the healing process in astronauts, accelerating the growth of healthy skin cells by 150-200%, but it could also be used to grow plants in space. Holla at cha girl, SCIENCE! Red light stimulates the skin to produce collagen and elastin, both things we naturally lose as we get older because #lame. Red light therapy has also been used on chancer patients, helping to reduce inflammation, increase circulation and lymph system activity.

For those of you who follow me on Snapchat, and you really should if you love cats and me complaining about things, you may have seen me using a crazy red light device these past few months. I once pretended it was a CB radio and that I was a truck driver so if you didn’t see it, you missed out.

The first time I experienced red light therapy for myself was actually at a day spa called Spa Castle in Dallas, Texas. I was intrigued by the lawn chairs under a bright red “sun” so I put on my sunglasses and soaked in the cherry red light, not quite knowing what it did, but assuming it was good. I was correct. Red light therapy is FDA-approved, safe and a non-invasive anti-ager. My main goal is preventative anti-aging.

What is Baby Quasar (besides a nickname I like to call my cats)?
Baby Quasar has been harnessing red light technology for the last 15 years. Their devices started out as a spa-only tool, where you can expect to pay $300/month for treatment. The family owned and operated company still offers devices for the spa professional but also the average beauty consumer like you and me!

They recently unveiled the most cost effective solution to this type of technology yet, Pure Rayz. I was given the opportunity to try this cool device and I’ve been looking forward to sharing my thoughts with you! I am trying out the red versions for anti-aging but they do have a blue light device for acne too.

The Pure Rayz device differs from Baby Quasar’s original tools in a few ways. Most notably, the $249 price tag is their most affordable option yet. It is made of plastic, vs. anodized aluminum and offers a 5 year warranty vs. the lifetime warranty of their other tools. It still offers the 90 day money back guarantee and actually has the largest treatment surface area of all the Baby Quasar devices.

It uses 4 wavelengths of light-red, super red, amber, and infrared light to not only encourage your skin to produce collagen and elastin but also softens sebum and decreases pore size. It has a built-in 3 minute timer and is powered by a 6 foot cord. For those that are bummed it’s not battery operated; here’s the skinny. You are holding a truly powerful device as batteries cannot generate the amount of power needed to push the wavelengths of light through the layers of skin. This can only be accomplished via wall plugin.

Cool Science Facts

Red LED Light therapy like this is the only technology available that penetrates skin for long lasting collagen production.
Red and infrared light are present in sunlight, however, sunlight contains the full electromagnetic spectrum including x-rays, gamma and UV rays that are harmful.
Red light stimulates fibroblasts deep in the skin to build collagen over 8 weeks. Consistency is key.

My Skin
I am 32, have never tried injectables or surgical procedures and plan to keep it that way. I have fine expression lines on my forehead, the “11 lines” between my brows and melasma on my forehead and cheekbones. I have dry skin and I rarely, if ever, break out. My main concern is preventing aging.

How to use Baby Quasar Pure Rayz

First, cleanse your skin. You don’t want any makeup or pollution on the surface of your skin as it will inhibit absorption of light.
You may exfoliate now if you typically do so. Built up dead skin cells can also interfere with the absorption of red light.
Now, it’s time to bust out our Baby Quasar Pure Rayz! Plug it in, put on the included googles if you want or just close your eyes, and push the on button once. You will press the device lightly onto the skin, moving it in small circular motions. They recommend using the device for 3 minutes on each area of the face. I like to do 3 minutes on each side of the face and then an extra 3 concentrating on my forehead and neck. The device will shut off after each 3 minute interval.
Now you can apply any serums or moisturizers as you usually do. It’s important not to apply these beforehand as they can inhibit penetration of the light wavelengths.

Baby Quasar recommends using the device 5 times a week for 8 weeks initially, then 1-2 times per week after that for maintenance. I had a hard time sticking to the schedule as I did it at night when I was ready to enter dreamland STAT but it soon became an enjoyable bed time ritual. It doesn’t hurt, it feels scientific and allows you some time to space out and clear your mind.

You are free to use this on the lip area, which is awesome because that is an area that loses collagen as we age for sure.

My results
After using the Baby Quasar Pure Rayz for 3 months now, and reviewing photos I took before beginning treatment, here are my findings:

My fine lines are softer
My skin looks firmer and lifted and just overall, really good
The melasma on the center of my forehead has broken up and disappeared. I’m not sure if this is because I’ve been in the sun less but it’s definitely reduced if not all gone. The melasma on the very top of my forehead is still there but lighter.
Breakouts are very very rare, if ever.
My skin is just in a really good place. This could be due to Pure Rayz but also due to my use of retinol and facial oils but I’ve done that for years.
I never use the gold butterfly or flower crown Snapchat filter

Do I recommend it?
Yes. I believe in the science behind red light therapy. I feel good about using this device and will continue to do so weekly to stay forever 32. I know that I’m using the most powerful red light therapy on the market and that it’s safe.

Product provided for review purposes by Baby Quasar. No financial compensation as received and all opinions expressed are my own.

09/05/2016

Ulta 21 Days of Beauty Picks

There’s a slight chill in the air. The pumpkin spice latte is making it’s return. Football is on. It’s that time of year that many love so dearly. Some call it Fall but I prefer to call it Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty sale! This sale offers prestige products for up to 50% off and some of the deals are just so damn good, you can’t look away! I mean, to get an Anastasia brow product for drugstore pricing? To stock up on high end mascaras at prices lower than L’oreal? You might want to start creating calendar events and reminders now. I won’t judge you because I’ve already loaded up my iCal. Here are my top picks to take advantage of during the Ulta 21 Days of Beauty sale.

9/6 LORAC Color Source Buildable Blush or Light Source Highlighter • $11 See LORAC’s other blushes I love here.

9/10 Anastasia Beverly Hills Brown Powder Duo • $11.50 See how to use this here.

9/11 Lorac PRO Contour Palette with Contour Brush • $27 Read my review here. Platinum members only for this deal!

9/12 First Aid Beauty FAB Faves to Go Kit • $15 Read about one of my FAB faves here. Online only for this one.

9/16 Smashbox Always Sharp Waterproof Kohl Liner • $10 Everyone needs a kohl liner and one you don’t have to sharpen is even better!

9/17 Urban Decay Afterglow 8 Hour Powder Blush • $13 These blushes are new to the UD lineup and ultra-high pigment.

9/19 Buxom Lash Mascara • $10 Read my review here. Online only for this one.

9/20 IT Brushes For ULTA Love Beauty Fully Buffing Mineral Powder Brush • $15 Other It Cosmetics brushes I love here.

9/21 Laura Geller GlamLASH Dramatic Volumizing Mascara • $12 Read my review here.

9/22 Cargo The Essentials Eyeshadow Palette • $17 Read about Cargo’s liner I love too here. Online only for this deal.

9/24 Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! Mascara • $10 Read my review here.

Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty is running through the 24th and it’s well worth checking out!

09/02/2016

Terre Mere Cruelty Free Makeup Brushes

I’ve been hunting…but not for animals. Hell no. Ain’t about that life. I’ve been hunting for the best synthetic makeup brushes. Brushes that perform like animal hair, but aren’t. I first tried a Terre Mere brush via Vegan Cuts. I loved how super soft it was, plus I’m a fan of white on white. When I saw the Terre Mere 8-piece brush set pop up on HauteLook for $19, I jumped at the chance to try more. Here is what I thought of the brushes in the 8-piece set which currently retails for $49 on the Vegan Cuts site.
Left to right: lip brush, eyeliner brush, blending brush, eyeshadow brush, concealer brush, cheek brush, bronzer brush, powder brush.

Right to left

Lip brush The stiff, short bristles of this make for precise application, key for lip products. LIKE

Blending brush I would call this a crease brush. It performs identical to the Sigma E35 brush and places crease colors really nicely. LIKE

Eyeliner brush The angular shape makes this great for winged liner and the bristles are the right stiffness and length, without having too much flex, but just enough. LIKE

Eyeshadow brush It was hard to distinguish the from the concealer brush as they are virtually, if not the exact same shape and size. That being said, it lays down pigment nice and even. I wish it were just a tad smaller. I like it but it’s nothing special. LIKE

Concealer brush As said before, this and the eyeshadow brush are interchangeable. It’s nice for placing concealer but not my favorite for blending. MEH

Cheek brush This was the brush I received in my Vegan Cuts box and I really like it! I like it for highlighter best but also for blush and light contouring. LOVE

Bronzer brush This is a small flat top kabuki brush. It applied bronzer ok but nothing special. MEH

Powder brush I like my powder blushes big and fluffy and this fits the bill. If you pick up any of your foundation, you’ll see it thanks to the white bristles. This is the softest-feeling brush of them all. LOVE

Overall Thoughts: These are priced a bit higher than they should be. If you can get them on HauteLook, those prices are what they are actually worth. They seem to be wearing well with no shedding or deformities in the bristles and they are gentle on the skin. When I’ve used them on clients, they remarked at how soft they were. I’d give them an overall 6/10.