a little make over

I have always worn make up, but my usual routine has changed a little since staying at home with the baby.  I almost always start the day with putting some simple make up on...foundation, powder, bronzer, a little blush and lots of mascara.  By about 3 or 4pm, I sometimes look in the mirror and wonder what happened to all my make up?!  I usually need to touch it up, especially if we have plans for the rest of the afternoon or evening.  Most of the time I hastily slather on a bunch of make up and hope for the best.  So, I asked my lovely and talented Mother for some tips on how to do a "quick fix."  She has been doing make up for a long time and knows her stuff!

The steps:

1-Clean up under and around the eyes with make up remover wipes.  "Elf" brand can be found at Target and isn't too expensive.  My Mom suggested to tear up with the wipes into smaller strips since you really don't need a whole wipe for this small step.

2-Dab concealer under the eyes to even out your skin tone.

3-Use powder all over to even out your skin color and reduce shine (Mac Studio Fix has always worked well for me).

4-Use blush on the apples of the cheeks.

5-Use eyeliner to touch up the eyes.  Wet the tip of the eye liner brush with water and then dip it in eyeshadow (Mac eyeshadow, color-"print").  This technique makes it easier to line the eyes and doesn't give a really harsh look.  Start from outside of the eye and work your way along the lash line about 3/4 in on your eyelid, and only 1/4 the way in under the eye.  Then, smudge the line a little bit with an eyeshadow brush to soften the lines.  (I sometimes skip the smudging...it just depends on the look you are going for)

6-Add a little lip stick (Mac Lip Stick-Color "Skew") to the lips, and some Vaseline if you want a glossier look.

*You can use any combination of steps 1-6 depending on what you need, but definitely use concealer and lip color to see the biggest difference!  My mom did all six steps in my make over.

*One more tip...clean your brushes with soap and warm water once a week.  It does make a difference.  Unfortunately, I am usually too lazy to do this, but I know I should! 

When I showed my Dad these pictures, we started making jokes about how "sad and depressed" I was before the make over, and how now I am "having the time of my life" and "feel like a new person" after the make over.  Doesn't it always appear that way on TV?!  haha  Okay, our humor is pretty dorky...but, I thought it was funny!  I am glad I can now fix my make up quickly, and actually make it look better instead of worse!

Hope this quick fix brightens up your day a little!  Let me know if you have any questions :) 

Don't forget to check out my Mom's website.  You can check out all of her amazing work!