Travel Makeup Ideas and Tips.

Heeeellllooooooo! As many of you know I will be going to Orlando for a Zumba extravaganza! I will be leaving tomorrow and am super excited about it. And since I have been so busy with work lately (sorry :/) I wanted to give you guys a much overdue post about what I will look like tomorrow :)

I know that many people do not think about makeup when they are traveling. In between packing, and last minute shopping, and remembering the tickets, makeup can seem daunting. Some don't think of it at all on an everyday basis, but if you do, keep reading. I also think that the more simple, non-makeup girls will get some tips for this. This is also a very go to makeup look that is perfect for everyday. I took a lot of the pointers from Makeup For Dummies and simplified it a lot, so if those tutorials were a bit much, I hope you find this post helpful.

Now on to the post!

Face:

I first started of with a cleansed, moisturized face and applied face primer. Mine is from Makeup Forever in #1. 

I then applied my foundation by dotting it all over my face and blending it in with my stippling brush. 

After that, I put on some concealer using a highlighting pen from Givenchy and literally drawing stripes on my problem spots, making me look like a bizarre tiger. I then blended that mess in with my fingers.

Roar?

For everything else on my face I used the following, in order from left to right. 

I kiss you!

I contoured my face with the L'Oreal true match powder with my angled face brush. Then went over that with my Stila bronzer for some added pizazz. I then highlighted with my Laura Mercier highlighting powder. I used the same brush for all of these steps, cause ain't nobody got time to use more than one.

Highlighting

Bronzing

Eyes:

First thing's first. Eyebrows. You already know! Brush, fill, brush once more, and set it.

 

 Prime your lids first with some find of base and go in with a light shimmering eyeshadow. I used one from an Urban Decay Palette, but anyone would do. This will just make your eyes look nice and bright, no matter how zombie-like you feel inside. We all know traveling can be draining. I took that color and blended it from my lash line all the way into my brow bone. Don't forget to get the tear-duct as well. That way your brow and inner corner highlight is done already.

Then take a soft brown color and blend that into the crease and outer corner. I even took what was left on the brush and applied it under the eye too for some soft definition.

Next, take a black liner and line the upper water line. To do this I kind of look down and run the pencil back and forth. This will define and make the lashes appear fuller without having to apply liner on the top. See how much more defined the left eye looks?

Then, line the outer third of the lower waterline. 

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Now all you gotta do it curl and mascara your lashes and you are done! See? Wasn't that easy? For the lips you can do whatever you want. I chose a pink gloss, because its fast, easy, and low maintenance. But if you wanna just do a lip balm or slap on some red lipstick, then do you girl haha.

Other Tips:

• Bring food. Sandwich, carrots, apples and peanut butter, granola bar. Anything to keep you going. 
• Bring something to occupy your time as you wait, or even for on the plane. Things like books, cards, crossword puzzles.
• Take your own blanket along so you won't have to pay for one on the plane. 
• Take a sweater with you. I like those big comfy cardigans, because the plane is sometimes cold. I'm going to Florida, so I will be dressed for warm weather. So, this sweater idea is perfect for me when I am stuck on a freezing plane.
• Throw some headphones in your carry on in case you want to watch a movie, or listen to music.

And there you have it. I hope all of you get something out of this post. Leave comments below! You can also comment me on my Instagram and Facebook, or shoot me a tweet. 

Have an awesome day, everyone!!!!

Nicole xo

Prime Time

It is ya girl, Nicole again :) Good evening everyone! Earlier today I took this picture:

This was on Instagram. Today I was minding my own business, doing my makeup before work, when I came across these two products in my makeup collection:

Anastasia Brow Pen in Universal Deep

Benefit 15-Hour Primer 

This primer made my foundation look absolutely crazy! I was so excited about it that I wanted to blog right away, but I was off to work and wanted to see how it lasted throughout the day. You know how sometimes everything looks good in the beginning of the day, but ends up at your chin by the end it. Yeah well, there was no melting with this primer. My oily skin stayed shine free all day and looked airbrushed! I could not believe it. I had heard not so great reviews about this. One of the biggest complaints was that it controlled oil too much. And that you had to work fast before the primer dried out. Well when I saw it today, I thought what the hell? and did one side at a time. Boy, am I glad I tried this today.  It just goes to show that not everything works the same for everybody. 

As for the eyebrow pen, this was pretty awesome. When I did my eyebrow tutorial I showed myself using a powder to fill in the parts of the brow that a pencil would be too harsh. Well, that it where I used this pen. And I really loved it. I feel like it goes into my skin more naturally. The pen has a wet texture so it just molds into the brow seamlessly. I think it is also waterproof, so it is summer approved. 

Now I know that everything looks good when you put an Instagram filter on it, so I'm showing you an untouched photo.

Yes, girl. That is me. And yes those are my real lashes! Crazy right? I told you in yesterday's post how much magic Makeup Forever Smokey Extravagant Mascara works. I'd never lie to you guys :)

What primers do you guys use?

What do you think gives you a perfect foundation application?

Well, now that I am done venting my feelings, I am going to spend the rest of the night watching So You Think You Can Dance :)

Goodnight lovlies!

Nicole xo

July 2013 Favorites | Makeup, Skincare, and More

Hello beautiful people! It is ya girl, Nicole, all up in yo face! How is everyone doing today?

This weekend was jam packed for me. On Saturday I went with my family to the tattoo convention in New Jersey.

Me and momma bear!

My family loves tattoos. My dad is almost covered in them. My mom has her fair share of them, and my sister, Sam, had like 5 by the time she was 20. My other sister, Erica can't seem to stop getting them. She is crazy. Love you, E! As for me I only have two, but I want more. I'm just thinking up my next one ;)

The convention was also right on a boardwalk so we got to enjoy some of the beauty. 

Then on Sunday I went with my mom and Sam to a Zumba party in Chelsea Pier. 

It was a fundraiser for HIV/AIDS. It was really fun because we took some Zumba friends along. Plus 90 minutes of Zumba is pretty much the best thing ever. I was exhausted by the end of the weekend though because I also took a Zumba class in the morning. I'm a little crazy too I guess ha ha. 

Onto the favorites! July is coming to an end so I thought it would be cool to show you guys what I have been loving. I will talk about the products in the picture from left to right. Lets get started! 

Face: 

Givenchy Mister Light Concealer and YSL Touché Éclat Highlighting Pen- I have one word for these works of God. Yes! I have been using them like crazy because they highlight and conceal all the redness and darkness on my skin. They never look cakey and feel nice and light. 

Givenchy Gold Primer- Like my sample jar? Ha ha. I took a sample of this because I wanted to see if it really does take away oil while still adding radiance. And girl, yes it does. This primer has flecks of gold in it, which is what gives it that ability. 

Josie Maran Matchmaker Foundation- Yes, another sample jar. I don't know about you, but I break out sometimes when I try new foundations, so I took a sample. I love it so far. It gives awesome coverage while feeling light. One of my coworkers actually came into work when I was wearing it and was like, "Oh my god! Your skin looks amazing." So yeah I will most likely be buying this. 

Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso- Go to my CVS Haul post to read my proclamation of love for this amazing-ness. 

Eyes:

Makeup Forever Smokey Extravagant Mascara- In a previous post I said that I did not like the wand of the mascara and still preferred my Urban Decay one. Well I retract that statement. I still love my urban, but this mascara is the shit amazing (gotta keep it P-G) ha ha. My lashes look fake and perfectly fanned out. They actually show through my eyeliner. BOOM!

Kay Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper- This little guy has popped up on the blog before, but if you follow me on Instagram then you know I have feeling the cat eye a lot this month. 

Stila purple liner- Thanks to my previous post  we all know that purple liner is a way to make brown eyes pop. I also find that when I am in a rush adding some color makes it look like a tried super hard ha ha. 

Maybeline Great Lash Clear- This was featured in my eyebrow post and has been a real life saver for my brows and keeping the pencil from fading away.

Skincare:

Fresh Lotus Eye Gel- My eyes have been brighter over the last couple of days :) I'm excited. 

Fresh Umbrian Clay Oil Free Lotion- It leaves my skin feeling moisturized without being weighed down. 

Korres Wild Rose Cleanser- It has lite exfoliating beads that do wonders on the oil that builds up during the day. Wild rose is also packed with vitamin C and my face looks so much more glowing and bright lately. 

Lips: 

Revlon Just Bitten Lip Balm in Rendezvous- My go to coral with staying power! 

Revlon Lip gloss in Bellini, Revlon Lipstick Pink in the Afternoon, and L'Oreal Lipstick Unending Nude- The best nudes and pinks ever! Again, go to the CVS post to read my reviews on them :) 

Random: 

Sabra Roasted Garlic Hummus- It is delicious with baby carrots and sliced peppers. 

Goji Berries- Super food. Super nutritional. Taste like candy. Pretty much a win all the round :) I love putting them on my oatmeal or on some yogurt. Yummers!

Nails:

Essie Nail Polish in Mint Candy Apple

Tart Deco

and Go Ginza.

Pastel nails are very 'in' for the summer time since they look so stunning on tan skin. So long, bright neon nails! I have been wearing them all month long :) These are my favorite colors.

Tattoos. Love them or hate them?

Zumba. Love it or hate it? Oh wait. That's a silly question ;)

Well that is pretty much it for this post. Let me know in the comments if you try or have tried any of these things! Love y'all.

 'Till next time...

Nicole xo.

Makeup for Dummies, Vol. 3: Eyebrows

Hey, guys! Hope your days are going wonderfully. I will spend mine at work, but will be thinking of you :) Okay, enough with the mooshy stuff. Let's go on to eyebrows.

Eyebrows are super important. I know your saying, That's what you say about everything, Nicole. Well that is because everything I say is important ;). No, but seriously when you have a nice defined brow, it makes the face more complete. It also frames your face and eyes. Don't worry, you won't look crazy with a defined brow either. A lot of people think that, but strong brows actually make the rest of your features look soft and feminine.

First Step:

 Anastasia Brow Pencil in Brunette

Take an eyebrow brush and comb the eyebrow hairs into place. Luckily, my brow pencil has one on the end of it. I also love this pencil because the pencil is super thin, making the line super natural looking.

Second Step:

Take a small angled brush and dip it into a matte brown eyeshadow that matches your eyebrows. If you have a brow powder already then that's perfect. 

With the brush simply trace the top line of your eye brow. I like to do this with a powder because I feel like it defines the brow without anyone knowing that you did. A lot of times the top of the brow is where the hair is the most sparse, so going in with a pencil or gel would be too obvious.

Once I get the line I want, I take a q-tip to just clean up the line.

Third Step:

Take the eyebrow pencil and start tracing the bottom of the brow, filling in gaps as you go along. Remember to do this is feather- like, stroking motions instead of in large sweeps. This will give the illusion of natural eyebrow hair. 

I also like to extend the brow at the end just a little bit. I like an exaggerated brow, but if you don't, you don't have to do this. I also go in and lightly fill in the rest of the brow, again using short, stroking motions. Run your eye brow brush gently through the brows when you reach your desired amount of filled-inness. 

Fourth Step: (optional)

Take clear brow gel (I'm using Maybelline's clear mascara) to set the brows in place.

This is them completed. Sorry for the deer in headlights face, I was just trying to keep my face neutral ha ha.

 Nice and defined.

And here it is, all finished. 

Foundation: Done.

Contouring: Done

Highlighting: Done.

Blush: Done.

Eyebrows: Done.

Much better from where we started, right? lol I also already did a post on the basics for mascara which you can view by clicking here.

Good work, everyone. Now take all this and put it to good use, children! Ha ha.

Hope this helped you guys out :)

Love you!

Nicole xo.