Beauty How-to: Glamorous Curls

Gorgeous Hair Curling Tutorial

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These curls will make you look fabulous for any event. For this tutorial, I will be using a 25mm, or one-inch, barrel to curl my hair. With this wand, you'll achieve beautiful curls that aren't too big and bombshell-like, or too tight and crimped-like. Michelle Phan and her novel; Make Up: Your Life Guide to Beauty, Style, and Success -- Online and Off, gives us the tips and tricks that we need to accomplish this look!

S t e p  O n e :

First, make sure to turn on your curling wand. Preheating your tool gives it enough time to warm up to the desired heat, because if it is too cold, you will not be able to form any curls because the enzymes in your hair will not be able to heat up and become flexible. But, if it is too hot, you might risk burning your hair. It is also important to figure out what kind of barrel you want, the texture and size it will leave your hair in the end. According to the book, "Smaller barrels result in tighter curls; larger barrels create looser curls," (Phan 94). Let your curling iron or wand sit on a platform that will not burn or melt. 

S t e p  T w o :

This next step is also a key for this tutorial, you want to prepare your hair. You can either use first or second day hair, as long as it is completely dry. My first product that I would recommend would be dry shampoo, to add a little volume in your hair and to absorb any oil. Any serums or mousse should be used after a shower as your hair dries so that all of the product can be absorbed and used at it's potential. Then, use a heat-protectant spray on your dry, combed hair-- the name says it all!

S t e p  T h r e e :

Now that your hair and curling tool is set up, we can begin curling. Depending on how much hair and how long your hair is, you will part it into different sections to accomplish more volume and curls. For me, I split it into 3 horizontal sections, starting from the bottom and tying the rest of my hair up so it is out of the way of when I curl and out of my face. Then, if you do have a heat-protecting glove, you can put that on now, if not, you'll just have to be more cautious about your fingers when you curl closer to the barrel. Take sections more or less about one-inch, depending on how many curls you want in the end, or how loose of a curl you want to obtain. Next, wrap the hair around your barrel and keep it in place from five to seven seconds. The longer you leave it, the more developed the shape, but if you leave it too long, you're at a great risk of burning your hair and achieving a frizzy curl. Continue to go through your hair and sections until you finish, alternating the direction you curl whether it be clockwise or counter-clockwise, this technique creates more dimension.

S t e p  F o u r :

The final step would be to rustle through your hair, loosening your curls and separating them to create more volume and texture. Flip your hair back and forth, even going upside down to create more bounce. Then, get your hair spray to finish off the romantic curls. Make sure to spray a couple of inches away and evenly distribute the product.

F i n i s h e d

Now you're ready to go! How long does it usually take you to curl your hair? Are there any tips and tricks you know of? Leave some comments down below!

Phan, Michelle. Make up: Your Life Guide to Beauty, Style, and Success--Online and Off. Harmony Books, 2014.

Beauty How-to: Full-Coverage Routine

I n t r o d u c t i o n

With the help of Michelle Phan and her novel; Make Up: Your Life Guide to Beauty, Style, and Success -- Online and Off, We can create a rejuvenated and refreshed, medium-to-full coverage look!

S t e p  O n e :

To begin, you should always start off with a good layer of primer to prepare your skin for the layers of makeup that follow. There are many different primers that benefit different skin types. Dewy primers, make you look more refreshed and full of glow, they are usually very hydrating too. On the other hand, there are primers that make your skin look matte, and usually oily people have enlarged pores, so most matte primers are multitasking, in which they minimize them. Those for oily skin, such as myself, steer towards primers that are not oil-based, for the obvious reason of not layering the amount of oiliness your skin already produces enough of. Sometimes I do mix or layer my primer, and people even use one type of primer for some areas of the skin, and a different primer for the rest of your face. Personally, I use the oil-free Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer that not only make my skin feel so silky, but it has a matte-effect on the skin, and I also use the Benefit Cosmetics POREfessional Face Primer , that gives a natural finish, minimizing pores and taking away the shine on the face. Then, according to the book, you should let your primer set for at least ten seconds (Phan 57).

S t e p  T w o :

The next step would be to color correct any blemishes. Your goal is to have a canvas that will create an even, medium to full coverage finish, and prepping your skin goes a long way. The whole technique of color correcting comes from the idea of the color-wheel. To color correct, you would choose the color on the color-wheel and the direct opposite color. A common example would be to cancel out any redness or irritation with a green concealer. Other ways color correctors are beneficial are that peach/orange concealers cancel out blue and purple undertones, which could mean under-eye circles or veins. Lavenders or purple concealers fight against yellow dullness, meaning that the concealer brightens sallow skin. On the contrary, yellow concealer battles purple and other redness irritations. To determine what tone to use, the lighter your skin, the more pastel your concealer should be, and for darker skin tones, use deeper colored color correctors.

S t e p  T h r e e :

Now that your skin is all prepped, you're now able to paint on your canvas. Your foundation should match your skin almost flawlessly, with the correct undertone, either yellow or pink. As you apply, you could either blend with a brush or a beauty-sponge, personally, I use the sponge because it feels much softer and gives me a natural finish while containing the coverage I want. Whilst you blend in the foundation to your face, make sure to also blend into your ears and neck so you don't look like you're wearing a mask. I use the Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation by Rihanna. I love this brand because of how big the color selection is, and it makes it easier for beauticians to find the right shade for them. Another trick you can use is mixing foundations. You could mix two or three foundations for multiple reasons, whether it be because of the color shade it creates, or the finish or coverage that is created. Foundations can come in different forms, whether it be liquid, which allows the most coverage, powder, for a matte and lightweight feel and coverage, stick for high-opacity, and tinted moisturizers for light-to-medium coverage. 

S t e p  F o u r :

Before you begin applying your concealer, make sure you allowed your foundation to dry and set into your skin, which could take more or less 5 minutes. Then, there are various techniques to use for concealing. Spot concealing is using a concealer closer to your skin tone to cover any extra marks or blemishes on the skin, if you are lighter it would be better to use a light concealer, and for darker skins, the lighter the concealer, the greater the risk of emphasizing the imperfection. You could also use your own foundation to conceal the small areas. The next technique you could use is brightening your face with a shade or two lighter than your actual foundation. The places to apply this would be under your eyes as a triangle-like shape, the center of your forehead, down your nose, and even your chin. Illuminating the center points of your face helps give a youthful glow. With darker concealers or stick foundations, you can contour. This would be to slim down your face, so key areas would be the sides of your forehead (near your hairline), around the hollows of your cheeks, you could slim down your nose or even your jawline to create more of a defined complexion.

S t e p  F i v e :

After concealing, highlighting, contouring, whatever it may be, it is time to powder up. You want to set your cream or liquid concealers and foundation to keep them in place and give you a matte-natural finish too. Loose setting powders are good to use overall to keep the final touch light weight, or you can also add pressed-powder foundation on top to add not only more coverage, but to create the matte finish also. Loose powders come in different colors for different reasons and skin tones, ones with no color just add the setting-effect, ones that are more of a yellow or pink bases are to match your undertones of your concealer to set them. There is a technique used by many makeup gurus that is called baking. Baking is when you take a heaping load of powder and set your highlighted areas of your face to make them last longer as it sits there. Then, after a few minutes, you would brush off any excess powder and then you'll be good to go!

S t e p  S i x :

Now we have completed our medium-to-full coverage foundation routine. You can now add different accents to amp up your look, for example blush, highlight/illuminators, bronzer or contour. But, if not, your final step would be to spritz some setting spray. Setting spray locks in all of your makeup and takes away any cakey-ness that has built up throughout the process or that will in the future. There are setting sprays to help keep you matte or dewy. Personally, as a very oily gal, I love having makeup that makes my complexion less shiny then I already am naturally, so I use the KatVonD Lock-It Makeup Setting Mist. Setting sprays also aid in making your skin look more natural rather than powdery.

F i n i s h e d

With the whole routine complete, you are now photo-finish ready. Tell me about your makeup routine! Do you cut any steps? Add on? What sort of finish or products do you use? Let me know in the comments down below!

Phan, Michelle. Make up: Your Life Guide to Beauty, Style, and Success--Online and Off. Harmony Books, 2014.

Beauty How-to: Glam at the Tips of Your Fingers

Smoky Eyes

I n t r o d u c t i o n

Do you ever feel like you want to add an extra umph to your look? A great way to take your outfit, hair, and makeup to the next level would be adding a gorgeous pop of colors on your eyes. But, if you're a beginner with not many brushes or tools, or if you're short on time, I'm here, along with the aid of Michelle Phan, beauty-guru and author of Make Up: Your Life Guide to Beauty Style and Success -- Online and Off, to help you create a sultry smoky shadow to add definition to your eyes with your own easy-access tools-- your finger-tips!

S t e p  O n e :

You always want a strong foundation to build off of, and no, I'm not talking about actual makeup foundation. Before applying any eyeshadows, you want to prime your eyes. There are options such as products especially made for priming your eyes, which help the eyeshadow adhere better and also making it longer lasting. There are some eyeshadow primers that are especially made for glitter shadows, in which it is more tacky and bring more opacity for the eyeshadow. But, if you don't do eye looks very often and wouldn't use those pricey primers as much as you would want, another alternative to purchasing an eyeshadow primer would be using concealer! I use this trick all the time to add coverage and a base for my look. Then to make sure there will be no creases, set your primer with a powder that is similar to your skin tone or slightly lighter. To do this, you can use an eyeshadow, powdered foundation, or even some translucent powder.

S t e p  T w o :

Now time to build up our smoky eye. First, you want to lay down your base color, which typically is the lightest color aside from the highlight color and your skin base. Pick up the shadow with your ring finger, according to Phan's novel, "Your ring finger is the most delicate finger," (Phan 52). You will also go back in to blend all the shadows with the same fingers. This color will add a slight pop and will help the other shadows come together to look blended seamlessly. Bring up the shadow all the way to above your crease, you can call this your transition shade because you will be able to go back and forth with this shadow to add softness into your sultry smoky eye. When you've built up your desired opacity for your base and transition color, you can move on to defining the eyes.

S t e p  T h r e e :

Now we're gonna start adding in more color to bring in that smoky look that we want. This color will be slightly more of a darker brown, a warm tone. You will want to pick this up with your pointer finger, in which the book states; "The index finger provides the most control, so use it to contour," (Phan 52). The amount of control that the index finger has brings a lot of preciseness, which is good for creating a shape for your eyes, and like the author said, to contour and add depth. You want to place the shadow near the outer-corner of your eyes, and have it angled towards your brows. Then, start to bring the color more towards the middle of your eyes and in your eye crease, blending as you take the colors across the lid. Continue to blend the shadows until it looks seamless and a flawless gradient.

S t e p  F o u r :

Our creation is starting to come together, and we're gonna continue to add more shadows to make the look feel more sultry and smoky. As one of our final steps, our book guide states that; "The middle finger is for the darkest color," (Phan 52). So, we're going to take our deepest brown shade and place it on only our outer-corner. Then, blend out into the other colors to continue the seamless finish. Build up the darkness into one corner and the smoky effect will begin to come together.

S t e p  F i v e :

Now that we have built up all our colors and created a sultry look, we are going to add the finishing touches-- see what I did there? To finalize, "Use your pinky finger for the lightest shade, which will be your highlighter," (Phan 52). Take an eyeshadow that is bone-colored, or something that is light enough but won't be too opaque, you want this highlight to look effortless and just to add a little something to finish off the look. Shimmers and actual highlighters would look beautiful and add that special something to top off your makeup, but matte shadows would also add a bit of a natural finish to your eye makeup. Either decision would look gorgeous!

F i n i s h e d

Would you have ever thought that creating an eyeshadow look could be so easy, I mean, it is at the tip of your fingers! It may be a little messy, but trust me honey, the picture-perfect finish is worth it. What other colors would you try for this look? Do you prefer a matte look over shimmer and glitter? Let me know your thoughts down below!

Phan, Michelle. Make up: Your Life Guide to Beauty, Style, and Success--Online and Off. Harmony Books, 2014.

Beauty How-to: Simple Nails

Easy Holiday Nails

I n t r o d u c t i o n

"Nails take any old outfit and make it new" - Essie.

Nails. We use them for various tasks throughout the day, actually styling them is just an afterthought, right? But what you don't realize is that the simplest nail polish can take your outfit to a whole new level. From a solid color, to glitter, to accents and nail art, there are millions of ways to create a nail set that suits you! Not only does nail polish give you that pop of color that compliments your clothes, but it also gives a shield that protects your nails from any damage. There are also some polishes that are multi-purposed. Some infused with argan oil that is rich with vitamins that keep your nails healthy. For the holidays, I wanted to keep my nails coated with a nice solid, shiny maroon polish. With the help of YouTube beauty-guru Michelle Phan and her novel, Make Up: Your Life Guide to Beauty, Style, and Success-- Online and Off, I've collected some tips and tricks to help you for this tutorial!

S t e p  O n e :

Before you begin any painting, you want to decide on what kind of look you want to go for. For me, I wear a lot of red, so I know that the polish I chose would compliment any of the different outfits that I prepared for my holidays. Also, you want to make sure you have a good canvas. Prep your nails by cutting them the length you want them, and the shape you desire by filing your nails. I like my nails a little long, and oval-like. To keep your nails strong and healthy, there are vitamins you can take, and even serums loaded with vitamins and minerals.

S t e p  T w o :

To create a strong nail look, you need a good foundation. Base coats are the base, the primer to your canvas. These clear polishes prepare your nail for the following colored nail coats. This base prevents staining, and some even are hydrating and not only protect your nails but keep them healthy also! As said from the book, "This [base coat] will protect your nail bed from discoloration and extend the life of your manicure," (Phan 101). I used an affordable 3-in-1 base coat to prepare my nails. Then, I allowed both hands to dry for at least 5 minutes to make sure my nails have absorbed and dried the coat.

S t e p  T h r e e :

Now we can get to painting our canvas. I chose a deep red because I felt like it matched the winter-holiday feel that I wanted and that would also go with all the red dresses I was planning to wear. As you paint, you want to make sure your brush isn't too loaded with polish or else your nails will become clumpy and overflow. But, you also want to make sure there is enough polish or else it will look streaky and uneven. Start at the cuticle and use light pressure to spread out the brush slightly to accomplish the most coverage. You want to have the least amount of strokes so every layer of polish will be thin and buildable. Wait at least 10 minutes for both nails to dry down completely and build up layers for your desired opacity.

S t e p  F o u r :

For our last step, you need a top coat. A top coat is a clear polish that seals down the other layers and adds another shield of protection that also adds a gloss to finish off your look. Similar in look to normal clear polishes, but don't get them mixed up! Clear polish does not have the same benefits as a basic top coat, it only adds the shine. Swipe a coat of any top coat to conclude this holiday look. I used my 3-in-1 base and top coat because of it's multi-purpose. Then, finish off my using nail polish remover and a small synthetic brush or cotton swab to clean up any small mistakes.

F i n i s h e d

You know what they say, your feet and hands never take a day off, so take care of them! Pampering yourself to add beauty doesn't always mean manicures and pedicures, but just a hint of color can go a long way. What are some other tips and tricks you've heard of for nail care? Are there any other designs or patterns you would want to try out?

Phan, Michelle. Make up: Your Life Guide to Beauty, Style, and Success--Online and Off. Harmony Books, 2014.