April 4, 2016July 31, 2016 - vicky Leave a comment

STEPS FOR GLOWING SKIN

Glowing, youthful skin is something all women strive to achieve through various products and treatments. Our skin is very fragile; it gets damaged very easily either from factors we something to do with (like diet and makeup) or factors out of our control (like the environment and time). Although it is not easy to change the effect these factors have on our skin, there are ways for us to protect and even repair our skin by minimizing the effect of the negative factors. Bellow, I share with you guys some easy daily and weekly steps that should not be omitted and that will help to achieve the glowing skin we all desire.

DAILY STEPS

Daytime

Cleansing: Every morning it is important to cleanse our skin once we wake up. You might think that it is not necessary as all we did was sleep, so how come the skin is dirty. However, throughout the night, our skin is exposed to the environment around us, plus there are the products we used the night before that need to be removed. Therefore, we should cleanse our skin with a mild cleanser, to merely refresh it and wash away any impurities.

L-R: first aid beauty, philosophy, lancome, lancome, first aid beauty, clarisonic — L-R: First Aid Beauty, Philosophy, Lancome, Lancome, First Aid Beauty, Clarisonic

Moisturizing: Once we have cleansed our skin and before applying any makeup, it is important to moisturize it. During the day our skin is exposed to the harsh environment, like the sun and the car fumes, plus we have makeup on. Either the weather or the ingredients of our makeup, might dry our skin. In order to keep our skin hydrated we need to apply a light moisturizer, that will not burden the skin or interfere with our makeup.

L-R: kiehl's, charlotte tilbury, lancome, lancome, jurlique — L-R: Kiehl’s, Charlotte Tilbury, Lancome, Lancome, Jurlique

Sunblock: The final step of a daytime skincare routine, must be the sunblock. We all know how harmful the sun can be for our skin. From creating free radicals and quicker aging to skin cancer, the sun rays are a major source of skin damage. Therefore, it is essential to apply a good, high protection sunblock before applying our makeup.

Nighttime

Remove makeup: Removing our makeup at the end of the day is the basic step of a good nighttime routine. Many women tend to omit that step, which results in all the chemicals from the makeup products to stay in the skin for the entire day. This essentially results in a lot of damage; from breakouts to dry and irritated skin. Therefore, it is crucial to remove all the makeup from the face and eyes.

L-R: Koh Gen Do, Clinique, Johnson & Johnson, Biotherma, Ren — L-R: Koh Gen Do, Clinique, Johnson & Johnson, Bioderma, Ren

Cleansing: Once the makeup is removed, we should cleanse our skin. Even with the makeup remover products, some makeup will remain on the skin. Plus our skin has been exposed and covered in makeup throughout the day. Therefore, it is very important to cleanse it with a stronger cleanser than the one we used in the morning. The cleanser will relieve the skin from all the dirt and damage it has been through since morning.

L-R: fFrst Aid Beauty, Philosophy, Lancome, Lancome, First Aid Beauty, Clarisonic

Serum: Before applying our nighttime moisturizer, it is important to apply a lightweight serum over our skin. Based on the skin’s needs, it could be a hydrating one, a brightening one or an anti-aging one. Serums are more concentrated than moisturizers and packed with beneficial ingredients. They are basically boost-shots for the skin.

F-R: Algenist, Nude, Jurlique, Dior, Lancome, Dior

Moisturizer: The last step of a good nighttime routine is the moisturizer. Same as in the morning, the moisturizer will hydrate the skin during the night. Since during sleep our body doesn’t function as intensively as the rest of the day, and since we don’t put makeup on while we sleep, the night moisturizer has to be a bit thicker than the day one. The night moisturizer can also have anti-aging properties. Don’t forget that during sleep, our body heals itself and repairs any damages, so we should do what we can to help it.

WEEKLY STEPS

Apart from a good daily routine, it is important once or twice a week to exfoliate our skin and apply a mask. Exfoliating is important as it removes the dead cells and skin. It basically rejuvenates the skin and polishes it. The “bad” skin is washed away for the “new” one to emerge. Because the exfoliating process could be a little harsh for the skin, it is important not to overdo with it; exfoliating once or twice a week is more than enough. Apart from exfoliating the skin, applying a mask is equally important. It could be a hydrating, brightening, anti-aging or anti-blemish mask; the mask’s purpose is dictated by the skin’s needs. Face masks are concentrated and therefore easily absorbed by the skin. They offer an instant boost or repair of any damage done to the skin. Applying a mask on the face is a spa-like treatment but in the comfort of your own home. Again a little goes a long way, so once or twice a week is the perfect frequency for face masks.

exfoliators — F-R: Lancome, Fresh, Chanel, Laura Mercier

L-R: H&M, Fresh, First Aid Beauty, Lancome, Fig & Yarrow, Kocostar

Following some simple daily and weekly steps will result in clean, glowing, youthful skin. Using only a few products, can help achieve the perfect skin we all desire. Although my skin doesn’t have any specific problems, I follow these steps, as much as I can, to protect my skin and keep it glowing and fresh. Comment below and share your favorite skincare routine steps. Also let’s connect on Instagram (@vogueandmacarons) and Twitter (@vogueandmacaron)!

Till next time take care dolls 😉

Vicky x

March 20, 2016 - crazyandfashionable Leave a comment

Perfect Eyebrows + My Eyebrow Routine

HOW TO GET THE PERFECT EYEBROWS + MY EYEBROW ROUTINE

One of my favorite parts while doing my makeup, is the eyebrows. I just love eyebrows! I believe that they basically frame the face and give some structure to it. Imagine how weird your face would look without eyebrows. I know right? Therefore, eyebrows are a very important part of any makeup routine.

The first thing is to give the right shape to your eyebrows. By right I mean the shape that suits and flatters your face the most. The best thing would be to follow the natural arch and pluck it based on that. The two ends of your eyebrow are guided by your nose and your eye. So basically to find the beginning of your eyebrow mark a straight line from your nostril and up. Where your nostril ends is where your eyebrow begins. The end of your eyebrow is found my placing a ruler or a pencil diagonally from your nostril to the outer corner of your eye. This is where the eyebrow should end. To find your arch, you get the very same pencil/ruler and from the end of your nostril (like all the previous times), you take it at the centre of your pupil and up. That’s how you find where the highest part of your arch should be. It is an easy peasy way to map your eyebrows.

My eyebrow routine-Favorite products

When I groom my eyebrows, I basically pluck them where I need to in order to maintain my shape, and then I also use a tiny pair of scissors to trim them a little bit. I also use alcohol before I start plucking, to open up my pores a little so the process won’t hurt that much. Of course, I also brush them through the entire process so I can see how they will look eventually.

When I am doing my eyebrow makeup, I use a few products I really like. For feeling in my brows I use a pencil or a shadow. My favorite pencil is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Medium Brown. I absolutely love that pencil because it has a very fine tip, which is perfect for creating a natural (not overdrawn) look. Plus it has a spooley brush as well.

When I have more time at hand, I prefer to use a shadow than a pencil. My favorite duo is from the Naked 2 Basics palette from Urban Decay. I use the second darkest shade called Primal for the first half of my brow up to my arch, because this is a lovely taupe-brown shade that will keep the look natural. If I used a darker shade my eyebrows would look unnatural and overdrawn. For the second part of the brow I use the darkest shade called Undone, because it is a cool-toned dark brown, which is perfect for filling in my sparse part. I use an angled brush because of its shape.

After I am done with the filling of the brows, I brush them with the spooley to blend any excess product and then I use my Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel to set my eyebrow so there won’t be any unruly hair flying to different directions. Sometimes when I am too lazy to fully do my eyebrows, I use a tinted eyebrow gel to fill them in a little and set them at the same time. I mostly use the Anastasia Beverly Hills Tinted Brow Gel in Brunette but lately I am loving Benefit’s Gimme Brow in Medium/Dark. Both of them are lovely.

Besides the products mentioned above, I also love Urban Decay’s Brow Box in Brown Sugar. It is an amazing all-in-one product as it has 2 shades for the brows, a pair of tweezers, two angled brushes and wax to set the brows. An amazing tool perfect for daily use or when travelling.

Brows are an important part of the face; they add structure to all the characteristics. Therefore, grooming them is an important part of a makeup look. It doesn’t matter what you use to get the right brow; it could be shadow, pencil or simply a tinted brow gel. No matter what you choose to use or how you choose to do your eyebrows, keep in mind that they should always frame your face and highlight your features. Try not to overdo them but instead always keep them natural-looking. It doesn’t matter how thin or thick they are as long as they look natural and not like glued on or drawn on. I would love to know your eyebrow routine and your favorite eyebrow products. Also lets connect on my Instagram (@vogueandmacarons) or Twitter (@vogueandmacaron).

Till next time take care dolls 😉 xxx

Vicky

September 13, 2015 - crazyandfashionable Leave a comment

MY DAILY MAMAKEUP ROUTINE

MY EVERYDAY MAKEUP ROUTINE

As much as I love makeup and bold beautiful colors, for my everyday routine I choose to go for something quite nude and simple with subtle pops of color. I believe that too much makeup on a daily basis can take a toll on the skin, plus it’s a hassle to put on and remove in the end of the day. Therefore, I prefer something more natural that will just enhance my features and underline the ones I like the most.

First of all, I like to prime my face using MAC’s Prep and Prime because when I wear makeup for hours it gets messy after a while with the heat and sweat and face’s natural oils, so a primer always helps to set the makeup better and last longer. This primer makes my face so smooth and ready for the next step!

I absolutely love NARS Sheer Glow foundation because it proves its name right; it is a quite sheer foundation with good coverage and it gives a beautiful glow especially on my cheeks. I use the Mont Blanc shade as I am quite pale with a rosy undertone. Because of some quite intense dark circles I opt for a good coverage concealer but not very heavy or creasy. NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla is the perfect choice as it blends easily and covers the imperfections in a natural way.

In order to set everything and not end up with a runny face, I use Cocoa Powder Foundation from Too Faced. My shade is Fair as it’s perfect for the lighter skin. There is not much to say about this powder apart from: it’s awesome. It sets the makeup, lasts long enough and covers all the shiny places. The chocolate scent is a plus 😉

Next is the blush and highlighter. Most of my blushes are from MAC and they are various shades of pink however, for fall I am in love with Breath of Plum which is a shade between pink and red. So pretty and perfect for autumn! For highlighter I pick MAC’s Mineralize Skin Finish in the shade Lightscapade. This is such a beautiful pearly highlighter in a powder form with some hints of blue. I love it because it has a cool tone which matches my pale skin.

Moving on to the eyes, I don’t usually wear eyeshadow or any eye makeup for a more natural look. But if I decide to wear one it will be Yogurt by MAC as it’s a gorgeous nude pink that brightens up my eyes and covers any last traces of dark circles. It’s truly a beautiful, warm, pink shade that compliments my entire face. Even when I don’t use any eyeshadow, I will still fill in my brows. This is one of the most important steps on my everyday makeup – or any makeup for what matters. I use Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in medium brown. First I brush through my brows, then I fill in the beginning and the end after the arch because these are the sparser parts. Lastly I brush through them again to blend the color and make it look more natural. The final touch of the eye makeup will be the mascara. I love the YSL Effet Faux Cils because it makes my lashes quite long and full without even curling them. This opens up my eyes and makes them look bigger and more awake.

The final part of the routine will be the lips. Having bolder lips than eyes is one of my favorite makeup looks. Lately I enjoy using lip pencils instead of lipsticks; all it takes it’s a little blending. Especially Soar by MAC is my autumn favorite. It’s a pinky brown shade perfect for a nude/natural look. However, on some days I feel like adding some lipstick instead of lip liner or even on top of the lip liner to make it last longer or to make it more intense. On those occasions I use MAC’S Mehr, which is my new favorite nude lipstick. It’s a dirty pink with matte finish and the perfect match for Soar.

Everyday makeup should be comfortable and light enough to last throughout the day without damaging the skin. It should give a natural look on the face. Weightless, natural makeup always makes the face appear more youthful and awake. Natural look is just perfect got every day. I love how polished it makes me feel in a subtle way. What is your favorite daily makeup routine? Which products are the ones you swear by for your regular makeup?

Till next time take care dolls 😉 xxx

Vicky