I've Got You under my
Skin (Tone) - Info Tip #1
So you're at Sephora, you're walking down your favorite
makeup line section and you stop in front of the 30 lipsticks trying to decide
on a shade. You decide on red, but now
which red? One thing you might consider are your undertones How do you figure out what your undertones
are? So I asked myself this question and
came across this site: http://stylecaster.com/cool-warm-skin-undertones/ . And it was incredibly helpful. It's important to know your skin tones
because it helps send you in the right direction for your lipsticks. Once you've gotten the low down on your skin
tone, really look for lipstick shades that will compliment. Practice makes perfect so keep experimenting!
Started from the
Bottom (Lip) Now We Here - Info Tip #2
What it do y'all?
Thanks so much for submitting your favorite shades of red this month
it's been awesome being able to share my love of makeup with you guys. Today's info tip is on prep. You wouldn't iron dirty clothes (unless it's
laundry day hunny, then no judgments) so you shouldn't put on lipstick without
getting your pucker perfect. Taking steps to take care of the skin on your lips
is incredibly important (especially in extreme weather conditions), so here are
a few things that I do:
~Exfoliate
There are two ways that I exfoliate my lips. My favorite go-to lip scrub is Majestic Roots
Naturals Lip Scrub. If the ingredients
in this lip scrub weren't all-natural I'd feel bad for eating, but they are so
I don't. Brown sugar, honey, and
essential oils come together to slough off dead skin and moisturize lips,
creating a pristine canvas for your artwork.
I also use run a wet toothbrush over my lips when I don't want to do a
full lip scrub.
**If you love a matte lip like I do, exfoliating is a
necessary step. Nothing looks worse than
matte lipstick on cracked and crazy lips**
~Hydrate
I can always tell when I've had the bomb time at brunch when
I wake up slightly hungover and my lips are dry as hell. It's important to make sure you're guzzling
the good stuff (agua) regularly because it hydrates and brightens your skin,
including the skin on your lips. If your
lips are ever dry it's for no reason it seems, check your water intake, you might
be low.
~Prime
Now there are some lipsticks out there that are incredibly
moisturizing and I don't always prime with them. But if I'm wearing a matte lip I'm definitely
using a primer. Using a primer prevents
tug and pull on your lipstick application, which can lead to lipstick all over
your mouth. It also prevents your
lipstick from settling into the lines of your lips, but if you exfoliate and
hydrate you won't have those problems, right? Right. Majestic Roots Naturals has a lip balm that
glides on really smooth, moisturizes, and gives your lipstick something to
dance on without looking like chicken fried grease. I also use MAC Prep + Prime Lip as a base
coat for my lipstick or lipgloss.
Taking these steps ensures that when you slide on that Hourglass,
or MAC, or Revlon, or Smashbox, that people are looking at your lips for the
right reason. Tomorrow we're back to The
Red Spread. Please send me your best
blue-reds, true-reds, deep reds, and orange reds!
Quick to the
(Lipstick) Finish - Info Post # 3
So you know how you're looking at lipsticks and you're at
like yay, but then you get lost in words like matte, sheen, satin, etc. so then
you just walk out the store, with no lipstick in hand? I'm going to decode some of these words for
y'all so the next time you can walk in confidently, grab that tube, and walk
out of that store like the bad ass you are.
**Note glosses and colored lip balms were not included in
this list**
Matte
Matte is the new hot shit right now people are losing their
minds for. Matte is a highly pigmented
(which means the color is really strong) which can last a long time. Matte doesn't have a high glossy sheen and
has more of an opaque look to it. Matte
lipstick can be very drying over time, as the color tends to last a long time
so proTip: 1) exfoliate, because your lips will look crazy if it looks like you
rolled them in crackers and 2) use primer or lip balm before you let loose on
your lipstick. My favorite lip
exfoliator is Majestic Roots Naturals Lip Scrub.
Satin
Satin lipstick gives you strong color but unlike matte it
has a some shine to it. Not diamond or
mirrored effect but a bit more to give you a lil somethin.' Satin lipsticks are
probably best suited for work, giving you some color and some shine to let your
coworkers know that you can do your job well AND looking like THEE shit when
you do it. Satin lipsticks are also
known as creamy lipsticks and it's important to note that because the formula
is smoother you may want to use a lip liner to prevent lipstick from bleeding.
Frost
Frost as the name suggests, gives you a frosted look. Think of Vivica Fox in Batman Forever with
Mr. Freeze. Frosted lipsticks tend to
have a heavy feeling on the lips and can be drying over time, so it's important
to moisturize the lips.
Now I know what you're thinking, where is Amplified Crème,
where's Retro Matte? If you're a MAC
girl you're probably very familiar with these terms and you may not know what
they all mean, well I'm going to divide them into groups based on their color
opacity and their sheen.
Heavy Shine with
Strong Colors, Listed from Shiniest to Least
Frost
Cremesheen
Amplified Crème
Amplified
Satin
High Shine with Sheer
Look
Glaze
Lustre
Strong Color with no Shine
Matte
Retro Matte
This Ain't Lipstick!
- Info Post #4
By now I have faith that y'all are scouring your nearest
Sephora, Ulta, Blue Mercury, MAC and drugstores for lipstick. I believe it's
happening so don't fight me on this.
While you're clearing the counters for the perfect shades, consider 2
lipstick alternatives: lip stains and colored glosses.
Lip stain
As the name suggests, lip stains are much more concentrated
in color than lipstick and leave the color on your lips. If you've ever woken
up from a night of wine drinking (cause wine is still on sale at Walmart, thank
you Heavenly Father) and your lips were purple that's essentially the effect of
a lip stain. Lip stains are often matte, I haven't seen one that had
significant shine, and so they can also be drying on the lips. However, proper preparation will promote
perfect performance and prevents a parched pucker. Info Tip #2 has all the info you need on
prepping your lips. Also because of
their staying power a little goes a long way.
Colored Lip Gloss
Lip gloss has been with us forever, from the rollerball in
the tube to LipSmackers to NARS. Lip
gloss has come a long way and it's most recent innovation: decentcolor is
keeping lip gloss present. Colored
lipgloss gives you the high shine with the color. It can also be a bit more sheer for those who
want the look but don't want the heavy color.
With lip glosses I find comparing formulas to be helpful because some
lip glosses can be heavy. Lipgloss can
also be messy when it smudges so invest in a you-colored lip liner to line the
perimeter of your lips and keep that gloss where it belongs. As with lip stains, lip prep is important and
should be followed.
The (Lip) Colors of
the Wind - Info Post #5
And yes I definitely sung Colors of the Wind in 5th grade
dressed like Pocahontas with Deidra and Martina (S/O to them). It's finally March but Spring is dragging its
ass. Anyhoo how do you prepare for that
seasonal change when it finally decides to show up? Knowing your colors. As the seasons lighten up so should your
makeup overall. You want the sunlight to
bounce off your skin and bathe you in its natural sparkle. Get inspiration from pretty pink tulips, and
hot summer days, and pumpkin spice lattes, and soft snowflakes. Fall easily leads into winter and the spring
into the summer so don't be afraid to extend some of your shades or experiment
with them.
Winter
Dark reds, brown nudes, warm nudes, plums, brick reds,
violets, and jewel tones.
Spring
Pastels (lilac, soft pink etc.) peachy nudes, subtle corals, fuschias, true
reds, and orange-reds.
Summer
Hot pink, electric corals, peachy nudes, true reds,
golds, and orange-reds.
Fall
Berry, burgundy, wine, brown-reds, brick reds, dark
purple, brown, taupes, warm nudes and plums.
Please Sir, I Want
Some More [Lips]-Info Post #6
*Full disclosure I have not tried some of the following
tips*
So the genetics tree was supposed to give black women all
the full lips and booty for days. I can tell you that one of those dreams is
definitely deferred but I certainly got the lips. If you have thin lips and
want to get that full pout there's a couple of ways to do it without elective
surgery.
Lip Plumper
There are several lipsticks on the market that provide lip
plumping qualities. Buxom has a very
good line of plumping lipsticks and glosses.
If you would like to go the DIY route, cinnamon oil can act as a natural
lip plumper.
Lip Liner
Using liner two ways can add depth to your lip. First way is to line just along the outer
ridge of your lips with your lip liner. Doing this, instead of putting liner on
the line helps to make your lips look naturally bigger. The second way is to use a darker colored lip
liner and blend it into your lipstick.
The ombre effect will create depth and fullness.
Highlighting
Using a highlighter on your Cupid's bow is another great way
to fake it till you make it. Blending into your lips with added dab of lip
gloss in the middle and lower lip will give you something to pout about.
Todos mis ombre(s) -
Info Post #7
Hey y'all it's finally starting to look like Spring, Praise
Jebus! The color combos are endless and like my ninja Spongebob says: I'm
ready. Today's info post is on achieving
the ombre look in lipstick. Ombre is
legit everywhere, hair, clothes, bag, stationary, everywhere. Ombre uses shades or colors that shade into
each other from light to dark. Ombre
lipstick is a really great look because it adds depth and dimension, which is
especially great for women with less than full lips, it creates drama, and it
just looks effing beautiful. So here are
steps in achieving an ombre look.
**Note: I wanted to put a video up so you all could see it,
but honestly, there wasn't a video that really captured ombre in a way that
didn't look clowny (no shade to the women who put them up) that's just not the
way I would wear ombre but to each her own**
**Note 2: Some of the tips I saw included using concealer
around your mouth to make your lips pop and to clean up the lines. I don't use concealer around my lips I
understand that folks do but I like my makeup to look like it's a part of skin
not caked onto it. But again to each her
own.**
Step 1
Using a dark[er] lipstick or liner line the perimeter of
your lips. Making sure that you blend it
towards the center of your lips with a lip brush. Yep you need a lip brush. And yes I'm looking for the perfect makeup
brush tutorial to share with you all.
Step 2
Next take a lighter shade and focus on the center of your
lips and making sure to get that blend between the liner and your
lipstick. You may want to put your lips
together a few times to make sure the colors blend into each other gradually.
Step 3
If necessary, which it probably will be, take your liner
just to emphasize the perimeter of your lips.
USE your brush. It will help with
the blending between the colors.
Optional Step 4
You could use a highlighter in the very center of your lips
to add even more depth and dimension to your lips. Or you could add a gloss to give extra shine
to emphasis the effect.
C'mon Baby Send Me
Some Nudes - Info Post #8
Let me just say that nude lipsticks really don't do it for
me and they're like having a plain burger. That being said, I do know how
important it is to have at least one or two in your arsenal. Nude lips are
great for playing up drama in your eyes, they're great for work, and days when
u want a barely there makeup look. The conundrum however, is finding the right
nude for your shade. "Nude" in the makeup and fashion world really
means white (I'm just keeping it 1-0-0) which means peach or beige. There aren’t
many makeup lines that recognize that black women exist in more than just two
shades. (S/O to Covergirl Queen, Iman Cosmetics, Black Opal, Black Radiance,
Fashion Fair, Sacha Cosmetics, and Bobbi Brown just to name a few). So when
finding a nude, keep the following things in mind:
1) Draw the Line
Regardless of what shades apply to you, you have to use a
lip liner. It's non-negotiable. You can be in your feelings all you want about
it but that's just the world we live in. A liner close to your color will
create a smooth transition between your face and your lipstick. It will also
create definition. A nude lip without definition will look like an anus on your
face. Sorry not sorry.
2) Be True to Your Shade
Consider the undertones in your skin when looking at nudes,
and not just warm or cool but the actual color.
Rosy beiges and warm pinks work well on fair skin
Warm pinks and warm beiges work for light skin with slightly
olive undertones
Caramel tones darker than your skin work well for olive
complexions with warm undertones
Dark or light nudes can work for olive complexions with cool
undertones
Pink tones darker than your actual skin work for medium skin
tones
Beige caramels tones work well for caramel colored girls
Warm peach tones work well for medium dark to dark
complexions**
**Now let me just get on my soapbox for a minute. In nearly every article I read on this topic
(trust me, when I say this white America doesn't know anything about us) the
suggestion was that peach lipstick brings brightness to our faces. America, our faces are fine, please know that
ignoring us does not make us shadows, black women are very much here and do not
require brightening in order for you to see us.
Thanks!
3) Give a Lot of Lip
Even when considering your shades still look at the color of
your lip. If your lips are two-toned
like mine, chances are you have a hard time deciding on a shade because you
want them to both work. This is when
your liner is going to come in handy because it will help you adjust the amount
of color and help you rein it in when it feels like your bottom lip is taking
all of the attention from your top.
4) You Gotta Finish!
Finish is important.
If you aren't heavy into lipstick a sheer formula is an excellent
choice. It'll give you that slight bit
of color with that little bit of shine so it looks like something's on your
mouth. A glossy finish works really well
for a nighttime nude when you've got your updo going and your smoky eye
smoldering. Finally, a matte nude lip
can be a hit or a miss honestly. You
really have to use your lip liner with a matte nude lip to avoid anus
mouth. So really think about and play
around with it.
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