Makeup Tip Monday- The One Time Lip Touch-Up!

Hey Beauties!!!  I hope you've all had a wonderful Valentine's weekend!  And Happy Prezzy Day (I don't want that job- that's for sure)!

Lately I have been rocking the worlds largest handbags that can double up as a diaper bag...

But back in the day (roughly 8 months ago haha) I dreaded carrying a purse.  Don't get me wrong- I LOVE a great handbag and have tons that I used regularly.  But if I was out shopping for a day, or running a quick errand, I would prefer to travel as lightly as possible (less risk of me losing something and more free arm space to carry goodies).  My go to was a wristlet that was just big enough to carry exactly what I needed, including enough space to carry my phone.  I would then just clip my keys to it and I was set!  With one exception.  I couldn't fit in a tube of lipstick.  I was all out of room!

Lipstick is not quite my dessert island product- but it's runner up.  My dessert island products are a tie between  bronzer and mascara, but if I'm stuck on a desert island- hopefully I'd get a tan- so that leaves me with mascara in first place and lipstick still holding strong in second.

I love a great lipstick shade because you can go "celebrity airport makeup" status with it!  You know the look I'm talking about...

Just throw on some great sunnies and a fun lipstick- you'd look famously fashionable (literally)!  You could look all kinds of sleepless and un-made up under those sun glasses, but the lipstick makes everyone think otherwise!

If I was out for a whole day shopping, lunching, etc...  I just needed ONE lip touch up after lunch to keep my "celebrity airport makeup" look going- and there was no room!  What's a girl to do!?

Here's the tip-

All you need to do is take a retractable lip brush (or one with a lid) load it up with lipstick, and retract it back down.  That's it!  Just pop that into your bag- it's not as bulky as a full tube of lipstick so, it'll fit nicely and when it comes time for a lunch time touch up just pop it up and you have the perfect amount of your favorite shade pre-loaded and ready to use!  Genius; I know! 

Check out this post to find out what inexpensive retractable lip brush I recommend!  You're Welcome!  Enjoy!

Love,

Michelle

Calling All Couples!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

In today's post I'm going to talk about something a bit more important than just mommy and outer beauty stuff...

Lets talk about love!!!

So, go grab your significant other, forward them this post, or post it to your Facebook wall in hopes that they'll read it and get the hint.  This post will definitely apply to both of you!

My husband and I met at my cousin's wedding, he was a guest and I was a bridesmaid!  We were married less than one year later!  I knew almost instantly that he was the man I would spend the rest of my life with; it took him a couple of weeks to figure it out-  I secretly (not so secretly now) love teasing him about it!  One of our favorite things that we have always done throughout our relationship was write each other love letters.  Or in most cases- love emails, text messages, and we've recently added Dry Erase Marker mirror notes into the mix.  Actual letters were saved for super special occasions :)  For almost a year now we do this regularly; practically daily!

I've come to realize that our constant communication about how much we love and appreciate each other is not exactly the norm for a lot of relationships.  It wasn't always our norm either!  We've all been guilty at one point or another of putting the "I love you" phrase on verbal auto-pilot.  But sometimes a grand gesture and pulling out all the "I love you" stops is not only wanted but needed.  And there aren't many (inexpensive) ways to do that- that can top a good ol' fashioned love letter!  So here are...

7 Steps to Writing a Perfect Love Letter!!!  

Be prepared to get all kinds of cheesy and sappy!  Go get a pen and some paper...

1.  Start off by stating the purpose of your letter!

You're going to want to let your significant other know right off the bat that this is a love letter and not a grocery list!

2.  Take a walk down memory lane and write about a romantic memory!

The awesome thing about being in a relationship is that you probably have tons of memories together- so conjure one up that made you fall in love with him/her (the first time, or all over again... it doesn't matter).  Be sure to write as many details about it as you can possibly remember and write whatever thoughts you remember having during the moment of that memory.  Make sure you mention that it's a reason why you love them!

3.  Transition by telling them how much you still love him/her!

4.  Tell them everything you love about them!  And I mean EVERYTHING!

Every person loves to hear all about the things you like, love, and appreciate about them.  Write everything- from character and personality traits to physical ones.  I suggest making a list on a another sheet of paper so then all you have to do is turn that list into sentences.

**NEWS FLASH** your significant other will never tire from hearing how much you love and respect them!  We all want to love and feel loved in return!  I know I do!

5.  Tell them how your life has changed since meeting them!

6.  Reaffirm your love and commitment!

7.  End with a line that sums up all the love you feel for him/her!

Here is a little bit of inspiration for ya!

Ernest Hemingway to Marlene Dietrich

"I can't say how every time I ever put my arms around you I felt that I was home."

Beethoven to his "Immortal Beloved"

"Though still in bed, my thoughts go out to you, my Immortal Beloved, Be calm- love me- today- yesterday- what tearful longings for you- you -you- my life- my all- farewell.  Oh continue to love me- never misjudge the most faithful heart of your beloved.  Ever thine.  Ever mine.  Ever ours."

George H. Bush to Barbara Bush

"This should be a very easy letter to write- words should come easily and in short it should be simple for me to tell you how desperately happy I was to open the paper and see the announcement of our engagement, but somehow I can't possibly say all in a letter I should like to.  I love you, precious, with all my heart and to know that you love me means my life.  How often I have thought about the immeasurable joy that will be ours some day.  How lucky our children will be to have a mother like you-"

Unknown

"Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you was beyond my control."

Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan

"The important thing is I don't want to be without you for the next 20 years, or 40, or however many there are.  I gotten very used to being happy and I love you very much indeed."

Johnny Cash to June Carter Cash

"The fire and excitement may be gone now that we don't go out there and sing them anymore, but the ring of fire still burns around you and I, keeping our love hotter than a pepper sprout."

I didn't want to write too many specific phrasing suggestions because this letter should come from you, and be in your own words!  It doesn't matter if it is super eloquent and perfectly written, all that matters is that your heart is on that page!  Follow these steps and you will have a seriously awesome Love Day ;)  Enjoy!

Love,

Michelle

Get To Know Your Skin!

What type of skin do you have?

I would ask this very simple question and the response, more often than not, would be some combination of a confused face, a bit of shoulder shrugging, raised eyebrows, and a series of "I don't know" mumbles.  Then I would have to ask a whole series of other questions to try and get down to the bottom of what their skin type was, and they would answer perfectly fine and we'd figure it out together.  What that always told me was that women know the answers to how their skin feels and responds to different products, what it looks like throughout the day, and so on but they don't always know what category of skin type the answers to those questions puts them into.  Not to fear- The Made-Up Mom is here!   

Why you need to know your skin type...

You will be able to perfectly customize your skincare to target what your skin needs!  And you'll be able to better figure out what foundation and powder combination you will need to get the best look and wear for your makeup!

Why do you need to customize your skincare?

The better your skin is the more gracefully it'll age (prevention is cheaper than Botox), and the better your makeup will look!  Your makeup will only look as good as the skin underneath it allows it to look.  Makeup will only even out discoloration in skin- not texture.  So dry flaky patches, fine lines, wrinkles, acne bumps, larger pores, etc... will all still show through your makeup.  With better skin you'll have far less issues to have to attempt illusion correcting with makeup! 

Your skin type is mainly a genetic thing, however, the health and beauty of your skin later in life heavily depends on what you eat and how you take care of yourself, that includes your skincare regime.  If you don't take care of your skin it's only a matter of time before it shows, because IT WILL (no way around it)!!!  So if you can fix these issues just by figuring out your skin type and adjusting your skincare- why not!?  And we get to look younger for longer!?  YES, PLEASE!

There are 5 basic skin types!  Lets break them down!

Normal Skin

Your skin should look and feel vibrant, elastic, and supple.  You're in the super lucky bunch if you have this skin type because it's the least problematic.  It should be clear and smooth, you should have good circulation and a healthy complexion.  Even with the bare minimum care you're in luck for the long haul.  Keep up the good work and thank God for the good genes he blessed you with!

Dry Skin

Your face feels tight most of the time, you rarely (if ever) have traces of oil, and you probably deal with flaky patches somewhat regularly.  With dry skin you may find yourself touching up your makeup often, but not because things slid and moved around- it's more like your makeup pulled a full on disappearing act!  It's because your skin likely absorbed everything in a desperate attempt to hydrate itself!  Unfortunately dry skin can have a sallow tone, pores will be more visible, and it's prone to aging.  Good news- the right skincare will snap this right into shape! 

Oily Skin

Oily skin usually looks thickly greasy and shiny.  It can have a course texture (which is a major sign that the oil is caused from dehydration), usually accompanied by enlarged pores, and it tends to break into a bit of (sometimes a lot of) acne.  Bonus- Oily skin is not prone to much wrinkling- YAY!

Combination Skin

This skin type is pretty common.  It has patches of both dry and oily skin.  Usually the dry zones are the cheeks and around the eyes, and the oily zones are down through the center of the face- nose, forehead, and chin.  This skin type can be a bit of a headache because toproperly treat it you're going to have to separate the two zones and treat them each appropriately.

Sensitive Skin

This skin type often gets confused with dry skin since they share some of the same signs (tight and flaky).  But the difference is this skin type has reactions to products.  Typically, some sort of red spots or reddish scaly areas pop up and it can sometimes even feel itchy and tingly.  It's a fragile type of skin and whoever has this skin type needs to be very ingredient conscious when choosing products.  I also suggest doing patch tests with everything before you slather it on everywhere.  A patch test is when you use a product on a small area of your skin to see how it reacts.  The two spots suggested for patch tests are typically the inside of your elbow joint or behind your ear.   

A general rule of thumb to great skin is to DRINK WATER!!!  LOTS AND LOTS OF WATER!!!  I personally go through fazes where it gets really difficult for me to get my water in for the day (i;m just not in the mood for water) so I will make myself "spa water" by chopping up fruit (kiwi and strawberry is my favorite combination) and filling the rest of the pitcher with water and leaving it over night and by morning you have refreshing, naturally flavored water!  It's delicious!

What skin type do you have and does your current skincare routine seem to help?  Let me know in the comments below or email me using the "contact me" form on the right side of the blog!  If you need any skin care regime suggestions- just ask!  Enjoy!

Love,

Michelle

The Things I've Learned- What Men Really Think About Makeup!

With Valentines day right around the corner and lots of date nights happening throughout this weekend, I figured it's the perfect time to spill the beans on what men really think about makeup.  I was really hesitant to even write this post because I'm a pretty firm believer in doing makeup for yourself.  Do whatever you feel like doing, experiment with different looks, do whatever will make you feel happy, put together, and will add a little pep into your step.  But in reality we want to look as attractive as we possibly can to our significant other.  The problem is we over complicate what that entails!  We need to merge what we like along with whatever your hubby's or boyfriend's preferences might be...  

I've bared witness to PLENTY of couples "exchanges" on this topic!  Plus Charlie and I have had more conversations about it than he would prefer (since his answer is the same every time).  I just find how differently the opposite sex approaches this subject so fascinating.  Even after 6 years of marriage, it leaves me stunned every time when he compliments how pretty he thinks I look when I think I'm having my most unfortunate beauty moment of the day!  Like right when I wake up- my hair looks like I stuck my finger in a light socket, I have sleep marks on my face, and usually a couple eye boogies to boot- and THAT is when he says I look beautiful, and THAT is when I think he may be a little crazy!  But seriously, the bottom line truth- they aren't kidding when they say they like us just the way we are!  The makeup they love the most on us is usually when we are just enhancing our natural pretty and not when we're heavily contouring, over drawing, and doing all kinds of other things to look everything other than what we actually look like!  Ground breaking!!!  Who would have thought!?  Haha!  They really mean it when they say they think we're beautiful without the hours of effort that we think is required before receiving compliments!      

Here's a tip- they're already married to (or dating) you, so they're already there and interested-- buuut-- that doesn't exactly mean that they don't want us wearing anything!  It's more of a "right time and place" situation.  And date night is the right time and the right place!  

Their favorite facial feature is almost always eyes- so play them up!  That's where you want them looking when you're conversing anyway!  So feel free to go a little smokey, making sure to keep all your colors and edges blended.  Any harsh lines or edges are going to appear a little too artificial in their eyes.  If you're not into the whole shadow thing- a little eyeliner and mascara go a long way.  Just don't go Tammy Faye Bakker status with it all- if you don't know who that is-- Google her, you'll know exactly what not to do!  No offense :)

Skin-  USE COLORS THAT MATCH YOUR SKIN!!!!!< --- You should always do that!  They may not ALWAYS notice things, but they will notice something that doesn't look quite right.  Match it correctly and bring your foundation down your neck a bit so you can be sure it's blended to perfection.  They typically don't care too much about coverage, they just don't like it when it crosses into cake-face land.  And quite frankly, a caked on face is not really a cute look.  Go for whatever coverage you feel you need, but I suggest buffing in your foundation so it gives a more natural finish to your face.  And just because you have a breakout in one area of your face does not mean that your whole face needs to be full coverage- that's why companies create this great little thing called concealer!  Use it!

Cheeks-  use a touch of bronzer for a sun-kissed glow if you need it (I know I sure do in this cold season) and add a touch of highlight at the top of your cheeks to give your skin that perfect permanent candle lit skin look.  Back in the stone age, pink cheeks signaled that a cave babe wasn't sick; not much has changed ;) you definitely don't want to look sickly- so blush it up until you have a soft flush.

Lips- My festive brain thinks bright pinks and reds in celebration of love-day!  MOST men don't mind the look of a bold lip however, the one thought on Charlie's mind when I wear a bold lip is- is that going to rub off on me when I kiss her?  Your guy is probably thinking something similar!  If you go soft/natural/neutral, you don't really have anything to worry about but if you would like to go brighter I suggest mattifying your lipstick with a little powder; check out my most recent Makeup Tip Monday.  Or use a color-stay/lip stain/longwear type of product so you can kiss the night away without worry of any transferring.

Here are a few photos that display what I'm suggesting to get some Valentine's Day- date night- makeup inspiration flowing for ya!

Take this post with a grain of salt and tweak it to whatever you think falls in line with your style and whatever you know your man would like or whatever preferences he has that he may have already shared with you!  Enjoy your date night- you're going to look stunning no matter what you decide to do!

Love,

Michelle

PS- This post was hubby approved!

$pend it vs. $ave it! The Makeup Brush Edition!

Not being properly brush equipped is like trying to change a flat tire without a...  ummm, never-mind!  I should really stick to analogies that I know a little something about!  Haha!  Let's try that again- Not being properly brush equipped is like trying to paint your nails without a brush (that's a bit better, sort of).  Bottom line- your end result will look far from what it is supposed to look like, and It would make things a lot more difficult than it has to be! 

What you all may not realize is that brushes can make or break your look!  People really under value them because they have no idea how to work with them (stick with The Made-up Mom because I hope to remedy this issue for you).  But the best part about brushes is that they have the power to make your makeup look professionally done EVERY time you do your face!   It's like getting to take your makeup artist home with you!!!

It doesn't really matter if you spend TON$$$ on your makeup or not- if you have the right tools you are one step closer to getting your makeup to look the way you've always wanted it to.  You need brushes; and good ones at that!  So next time you're in that makeup store getting your makeup done, and you love it and you ask what you need to recreate it, and the artist tells you to get the brushes- don't brush off the brush idea!  They may be trying to sell their particular brand of brushes, but they are not "selling you" when they mention how important brushes are to recreating the beautiful (hopefully it was beautiful) look they gave you. 

The other thing that really holds people back from brushes are the cost!  They can be SOO expensive!  There is a reason for the price (hand-made, natural, cruelty-free hair, etc...), but not every brush needs to be of that caliber of quality to get the job done!  There are, however, only two brands (that I know of, from personal use) that make inexpensive, good enough quality brushes that I can vouch for because I have purchased them for my own collection!  And not every brush in those collections are worth it either...  I'll be breaking it all down for you.  Because when it comes to brushes- just because they're inexpensive doesn't mean they'll do the job properly; there is a particular craftsmanship that has to be there.  So, which brushes are worth your hard earned dollars and which are not!?

Face Brushes

(Flat foundation, buffing, stippling, powder, contour, highlighting, and blush brushes)

Save it!  
YAY!!!  These are the priciest of all makeup brushes and Real Techniques Brushes will save you a small fortune!!!  They are beautifully made and they do the job wonderfully, so wonderfully that I have actually put down my $30-$50 brushes and opted for these instead!  I kind of can't even believe it, but it's true.  I honestly never thought an affordable brand could ever match up!  Their "Core Collection" set plus their Powder Brush is a great way for you to start.  

     

You'll get all of these brushes for literally the cost of ONE face brush from a more expensive brand!!!  Also, an added bonus to getting these is that they are made of synthetic fibers- so you will have absolutely NO brush hair shedding!  Annnd the packaging turns into a stand!  Tripple whammy- YOU'RE WELCOME!

Eyeshadow Brushes

(Flat brush, medium fluffy, and large fluffy brush)

Spend it!  
Not much of a way around having to shell it out a bit for these.  You're going to need the proper brushes with just the right hair texture and density to apply and blend your shadow perfectly.  My favorites of these are MAC's

#239 (flat brush)

#217 (medium fluffy brush)

#224 (large fluffy brush)

Smudging Brush

Save it!  
I like Elf's Smudge Brush, and it's $1.00!  It doesn't get much cheaper than that!

Angled Brushes

I like to have 2 angled brushes one for brows and eyeshadow and the other for cream and gel liners.  The shadow angled brush is a "spend it;" my favorite is MAC's #266.  The liner angled brush is a "save it," and I like Elf's Angled Brush for that.

The reason why I like two different angled brushes is because the one I use for powder products I prefer to be a natural haired brush; it picks up more color and you have way more control with application.  Then for liner I prefer something synthetic; so the hairs will stick firmly together and I could get a really controlled, thin line of product.  If you have to pick one I would go with MAC's #266 because that one you could use in both situations, the elf one you can't (but's it only costs $3, so- who cares).

Eye Liner Brush

Save it!  
You just read my rant on this one in the Angled brush category.  I will say though I LOVE a pointed eyeliner brush to get a super sharp clean winged eyeliner and you could totally pick this up from an art supply store.  It is the ONLY brush for my makeup that I would ever get from the art store!!! Everything else is either not going to pick up enough product, scratch up your face, or have a freakishly long handle that is way too long to fit into any makeup bag ;)

Lash/Brow Comb

Save it!  
You could actually buy a cheapo one from either of the two inexpensive companies I have already mentioned oOoOrrr you could just clean off an old mascara wand instead and DIY it for FREE!

Lip Brush

Save it!  
I prefer a retractable lip brush (stay tuned for next Monday's Makeup Tip Monday post) so I like Real Techniques' Retractable Lip Brush.
  
I hope this post will help save you lots of money for lots of other beauty products!  In another post I will be getting into which brushes are the bare minimum ones that you have to have in your collection.  

So many posts, so little time!  Actually, I just wish I could just do some sort of  instant virtual transfer, download, thingy of my brain to yours so you don't have to wait!  That would be fantastic, huh?  Enjoy!

Love,

Michelle

Makeup Tip Monday- Turn Any Lip Into A Matte Lip

     

A matte lip is a classic lip trend that is back and is definitely planning on staying for the rest of the season (at least)!  So whether you love matte lips and are working on building your collection of colors, you've never tried them before but like the look, or you are really unsure about the whole thing; not to worry! With this DIY you can turn any lipstick (even your absolute favorite color) into the perfect velvety matte shade!  It's an easy, fun way to break up your normal makeup routine!

My personal lipstick preference is one without shine.  But I will have to say my least favorite group of colors to wear matte are all those mid-tone brown, taupe-y, neutrals.  I like EVERYTHING else in a matte finish except for those.  Maybe it's because I could seriously use a tan, but that's a post for another day...  I will still occasionally wear them- I just reeeaally have to be in a *dried mud smeared on my lips look* mood!  Haha!  My all time favorite lip I LOVE to do is wearing a bold or bright lip completely shine-less!  It's such a great throwback to the old days!  Deep plums, bright pinks, or reds, it doesn't matter- I love them all!  I've even been known to do this trick over top of an already matte lipstick to make it even matte-er-er ;)

Let's get to the tip!  

Grab any of your current lipstick shades you want to take for a *no shine* test drive!  Then find a shimmer-less powder product that matches the shade of lipstick you picked.  Use blushes and eyeshadows to match your reds, pinks, and corals; use face powders and bronzers to match your nudes and neutrals.  You can definitely even mix a few shades to get it "just right."  If you can't find any combo in your collection to match you can always use translucent powder (depending on the color this might dull the shade a bit, but it'll generally do the trick).

Apply your lipstick like normal and lightly blot it with a tissue; just to get any major lipstick goop off, then take the powder color and either dab a brush into it or swipe some on your finger tip (you only need a sheer coating, so don't go crazy) and press the color onto you lips.  Like this

In this photo a loose pigment eyeshadow was used- that's why there is a paper towel held underneath to catch the fall out; but you won't need to do this if you're working with pressed colors or if you have tiled floors that you could just vacuum up the mess off of :)  

I definitely suggest using lipliner or a lip brush to help you perfect this lip.  No matter what shade you choose to use; when it comes to a matte lip- a super crisp edge is a MUST!  There is no shine on your lip to reflect light and deflect attention away from any mistakes in application, so it'll look messy and feathered if you don't clean it up.  And a crisp lip line can be hard to create by just using lipstick straight from the tube.  If you can get it though- more power to you!  I sure can't!  If you choose to add in a lipliner you can apply it before or after you do this technique, whichever way you prefer will work just fine!  And TA-DAA!

Any lip texture will look more prominent with a matte lip, so fix that chapped-ness first!  If you have dry lippies, try using my DIY Lip Scrub before you do this lip.  

If you have never worn a matte lip before, try this tip on a day that you're just hanging at home and force yourself to wear the lip for an entire day.  As the day goes on you'll figure out how you feel about this "new to you" texture and you can really make a proper judgement call if this trend is for you or not!  

The beauty of this tip is that you pretty much just doubled your lip options for this cold weathered season!  Woo-hoo!  

Enjoy Beauties!  See you tomorrow! 

Love,

Michelle

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

The Made-Up Mom is One Month Old!  YAY!

When I began this blog it was just a little something for me to release a few thoughts and a little knowledge on subjects I happen to be passionate about.  I knew my Mom would probably read it but never did I expect anyone else to!  I can't even explain the absolute joy when I saw I had over 1,100 readers from around the world!!!  How did that happen!?  I feel so incredibly blessed that you are actually out there and reading my little start up blog!  THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for spending a few precious minutes of your week visiting with me on here :)

Love,

   Michelle