Correct & Conceal Your Dark Circles/Eye Bags for $4!

You don't have to have proof of last night's festivities written all over your undereye nor do you have to sacrifice an arm and a leg to the makeup gods to cover up those dark secrets any longer. If you've been with me since the beginning, you might recall my original dark circle cover up tutorial, however, since then, I've found products that do the same job at a fraction of the cost. The star of the show today is the LA Girl HD Pro Conceal Concealer, which can be found at beauty supply stores and online, ranging in price from $1.99 to $5.00. In the demo below, you'll notice that I use two different shades, a peachy bisque shade to correct and a lighter shade to highlight. If you're into a more natural undereye, you can certainly substitute the second shade for one closer to your skin tone. Either way, this method can save you quite a few bucks (so you can continue your late-night shenanigans--you're welcome).



Demo

1♥ Start off with a fresh, clean, moisturized face. Before the demo, I accidently already applied my eyelid primer, but you get the point. I suffer with dark circles that are exentuated by a natural dent created by my orbital bone, as well as puffy undereyes due to my eye shape.

2♥ Prep your undereyes with your undereye cream of choice and let it sit and absorb into the skin for a few minutes. During this time, I like to prime my skin and apply my foundation. You'll notice that I do this step after I do my eye makeup and that's simply because I like to clean my under eye of fall-out, especially when I'm wearing bright eyeshadows like I am today. Currently, I'm trying out the Olay Regenerist Regenerating Eye Lifting Serum.

3♥ After my foundation is applied, I go in with my corrector first. What has made a noticeable difference for me is matching the shade, or the deepness, of my dark circles with the shade of the corrector. By doing this, you are essentially cancelling out the dark circle and starting with a "fresh canvas". My corrector of choice is the LA Girl HD Pro Conceal in Medium Bisque.

4♥ I blend out the corrector thoroughly with my dampened beauty blender.

5♥ This step might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I looove highlighting my face. It makes me look more awake and fresh-faced and makes a world of a difference when the whole look is completed. For this step I apply the LA Girl HD Pro Conceal in Porcelain in a triangular formation. If you have a rounder face shape like I do, then don't make this triangle too wide.

6♥ I also blend out the highlight with my dampened beauty blender.

7♥ You're not finished just yet. Now you need to set your master piece. Personally, I like to use the baking method. I know, I know, you probably think this is some annoying fad or something and you're tired of hearing about it, but with the right loose powder, it proves effective. I, once again, use my dampened beauty blender to pick up some of the No 7 Translucent Perfect Light Loose Powder and pack a relatively thick layer beneath my eyes. I concentrate most of the product on my cheeks and use the least amount possible directly underneath my eyes. I don't want my undereye to look dry and cakey; I just want to set the concealer there, so that it won't crease. The powder serves a different purpose on my cheeks, though, and that is to prolong the wear of my makeup and control any future oil slicks that occur on this here face of mine.

8♥ I keep the powder on until I finish completing the rest of my face makeup. Then I gently brush it off with a large fluffy brush. The end result should be a mattified, bright undereye with absolutely no hint of last night's escapades.

XO ♥

The Vampy Fall Lippie Wardrobe

As cliche as it is, every year around this time we find ourselves whipping out the darker, more vampy lipsticks. Don't know the inclinations that means for our psyche, but I do know dark lippies look really good. Well, needless to say, I have accumulated a ton of deeper shades in my lippie collection, but I thought I'd narrow it down to my top five must-haves...you know, just in case you wanted to take a walk on the dark side (sorry, that sounded a lot cooler in my head).

My Top Picks

♥Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick in Melted Berry - For those of you who aren't ready to take the plunge into the world of ultra-dark lippies, this is a good start. Melted Berry is a deeper berry shade with very flattering pink undertones.
♥LA Splash Lip Couture Waterproof Liquid Lipstick in Vampire - Now if you need a formula that will not budge, this is definitely the one for you. Personally, I'm not a fan of the scent, but I can look past it because of the shade. This is not just your run of the mill deep red, this liquid lipstick contains micro-shimmer throughout that gives it a semi-metallic finish. However, due to its waterproof nature, I'd recommend wearing a lip balm underneath.
♥Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Train Bleu - An iconic shade that always seems to be sold out at Sephora, Train Bleu is the deepest a plum shade can get. What I like is that the formula is very soft, smooth, and pigmented. The pencil format is convenient for lining and filling in the lips, as well as for on-the-go purposes.
♥NYX Intense Butter Lip Gloss in Black Cherry Tart - If you're feeling like a little daredevil, a glossier dark lip is right up your alley. Don't be fooled by the fact that this is a gloss, the Intense Butter Gloss collection from NYX packs a punch in the color department. I love this particular shade because somehow the deepness makes the purple more wearable in my opinion.
♥Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick in Potion - A step below wearing straight up black on your lips, Potion is a deep dark violet shade (purple with blue undertones). While it may not be the most daytime appropriate lippie, it does look good for a night out or even Halloween.

Vampy lips are by far one of my favorite fall trends to pull off, but I must admit that it makes me look really pale. Not really an issue a little self-tanner can't fix. But enough rambling. Now that you know my top five, I'd like to know yours. C'mon, cough it up!


XO♥

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Lippie Swatches: Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipsticks

Within the last couple of years, I have become obsessed with liquid lipsticks. It's equivalent to having your favorite lipstick in lip gloss form. You get all of the amazing pigment without the chafe of rubbing the solid formula on your lips. While it's true that my favorite liquid lipsticks have matte formulas, I've always wanted to try out the Too Faced Melted Lipsticks. However, the $21 price tag is a little steep for something I wasn't completely sold on.

So it was perfect when Too Faced came out with their Melted Kisses collection for the holidays, which contained four deluxe sized samples of their most popular shades--Melted Nude, Melted Peony, Melted Fuschia, and Melted Berry. It offered a range from nudes to brights and was just over the price of a single Melted Lipstick. You can probably imagine how fast that sold out online and in stores, but I somehow managed to snag up possibly the last set in all of New York City. What can I say? It was obviously the work of fate.

Despite the fact that I've been dying to wear these lippies, I've been hording them for a couple months for this exact post. Unfortunately, after you squeeze the product out, the white applicator absorbs some of the product and becomes stained, so it's not as pretty once you use it. However, the applicator definitely makes it easy to get around the lip line precisely.

Before I get on to the lip swatches, here are the claims Too Faced makes about this product:
♥ Staying power of a stain
♥ Intense color of a liquid lipstick

♥ High shine of a gloss

I can definitely say that the results are inconsistent throughout the shades, but you can see for yourself in the lip swatches below.

Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick in Nude

Melted Nude is a very tan camel sort of shade. If you're into peachier nudes, I think you will enjoy this one. Out of the four Melted Lipsticks that came in this set, this one comes off more matte, not glossy, and the application was pretty splotchy, clinging to lines and dry patches.

Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick in Melted Peony

Melted Peony is the other "nude" shade that this collection provides and is a very natural baby pink shade. I wouldn't say it has a completely glossy finish. It actually looks and feels like a creme sheen from Mac.

Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick in Melted Fuschia

Melted Fuschia is a hot magenta pink, perfect for one of those days that you want a pop of color. Just like Melted Peony, it is more of a creme finish than a glossy one and it is also very opaque.

Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick in Melted Berry

Melted Berry is the darkest shade in the set and is a deeper red with pink undertones, instead of purple ones like a tradition berry shade. This is the most opaque shade out of the Melted Lipsticks and is the only one that provided the high shine and staining quality that Too Faced claims (at least on my lips specifically).

L to R: Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick in Melted Nude, Melted Peony, Melted Fuschia, and Melted Berry

Although this set is no longer available, the shades are still available separately, along with many others to choose from. As you can see from the lip swatches and descriptions, the formula seems to vary depending on the shade. Not all of them follow the claims made by Too Faced, which doesn't necessarily make them a failing product in my book. I tend to go for creme or matte shades and I also only really care if the bright or dark shades have a staining capability as those can fade off really unnaturally. So it's all about personal preference. As for the long wearing claim, the stickiness of the product is what makes that true without them being overly drying on the lips. Depending on how pigmented your lips naturally are will determine if certain shades will actually stain your lips or not. If you drink, eat, or smooch, however, this lip product will inevitably transfer.



Overall, I really enjoyed three out of four of the shades and do think this is a product worth looking into if you want high pigment and shine.

XO ♥

The Cure for Panda Eyes: Concealing Your Dark Circles

Like many people, I suffer from chronic panda eyes. Whether you have dark circles because you stayed up late the night before or because panda eyes run in your family (thanks, Mom!), I have a few fool-proof tips and products that can help you virtually eliminate their appearance. Of course, nothing works better than getting a good night's rest and implementing a good skincare routine, but if you're in need of a quick fix, look no further.

Tip # 1: Hydrate your undereye area with your eye cream of choice. At the moment, I'm using the Origins Plantscription Anti-aging Eye Treatment. I wouldn't recommend slathering this on as you would in your night routine because you want it to be fully absorbed by the time you put product in that area. You do, however, want to moisturize the undereye area so that the product goes on more smoothly. No product in the world will look good on dry, crepey skin. After I have this on, I usually move on and do my hair, brows, and eye makeup before coming back to it.

Tip #2: Apply an orange based concealer directly to the problem area. How severe your dark circles are will determine how saturated in the orange pigment the product you use should be. For instance, those with only slight darkness underneath their eyes should use a lighter salmon concealer, whereas those with darker circles should use a concealer that is closer to a true orange color. By matching the dark circles in their intensity, you will be effectively canceling them out. Today I will be demonstrating with the Mac Prep + Prime Highlighter in Peach Lustre because I prefer it's more liquidy consistency in comparison to the creamier products on the market. And yes, I'm fully aware of how crazy this looks at first, but once the concealer is placed on top of it, it's completely undetectable. 

Tip # 3: Apply a concealer of your choice, whether it's your skintone or more brightening. You'll notice that after using the corrector, you won't have to use quite as much product or as high coverage of a product. However, on days that I need this to last for a longer period of time, I still use the Mac Pro Longwear Concealer in NC15. I find that it stays the whole day and I don't find my inner panda returning unexpectedly.

Tip # 4: I've really been embracing not powdering down my skin, but this is one area that I will not skip out on powdering. Setting your concealer is the key to keeping this magical concoction from fading. I have two different suggestions on how to set this area depending on your undereye concerns. If you have little to no wrinkling underneath your eyes, I would recommend a loose translucent or brightening powder, such as the NYC Smooth Skin Loose Powder in Translucent. However, if you do experience more wrinkling or creping underneath your eyes, I would not recommend a loose powder as you run the risk of applying too much, which can emphasize your wrinkles. Instead, opt for a more finely milled pressed powder, such as the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders. For even more brightening, I like to top it with Bare Minerals Well Rested Powder.

So those are my top 4 tips and product recommendations for concealing those pesky dark circles. Do you have any tips or tricks you use when concealing yours? Any skincare products you use to help treat them? Leave them in the comments section below!

XO ♥