Expanding My Horizons!

I have decided to make this a blog about more than just makeup (although I think it will still be my primary focus!). My blog will now include all sorts if things I am into-shopping deals, fashion, mommy hood, health, DIY-all sorts of fun stuff!!!! So here's my first thing-I am a BzzAgent. I get to try new products for free, and all I have to do is tell them what I think about it! No strings attached! It is an awesome program, and anyone can sign up! The first product I got to try out was TruMoo milk-the Halloween one-and it was awesome!

Crunchy and Oily...I'm Baaaaa-aaaaack!

Boy, have I missed y'all! I've been over here having another baby, building a house, moving, expanding my business, and errthang else that comes with being a wife, mom, and makeup artist...whew! I finally have time to catch my breath and get back on the blogging bandwagon-I sure have missed filling up a page with my thoughts, findings, praises, and sometimes, rants. So here I am, back again and ready to type-*cracking knuckles*-and have I got a lot to say! Well, lately, I have been on a healthy, organic, "crunchy" kick, if you will. I have stopped drinking coke (pop or soda for my Yankee readers), I have started making my own bread, I am REALLY trying to cut out artificial flavors and colors for my family and me, although, I can't give up the Haribo Gummi Bears-I just can't-it's against my European upbringing. And lastly, I have gotten REALLY into essential oils. I had seen many "recipes" for things using EOs-like soaps, lotions, and the like, but I had NO IDEA what EOs can really do. Believe me, y'all, they work miracles. Stung by a bee? There's an oil for that. Migraine? There's an oil for that. Not really in the mood for "brown chicken, brown cow"? There is an oil for THAT! Mmmmhmmm...I know, y'all are thinking I have lost my marbles, but they really are amazing. I noticed that a friend of mine from church had been pinning a ton of EO stuff on Pinterest (what did we do before Pinterest?!) so of course, because I am nosy and become the semi-stalker when something piques my interest, I start looking at her pins. At first, like many, I am super-skeptical. Eczema cream, OK, but using EOs for PMS?! SIGN. ME. UP. So after stalking her page for a while, I facebooked her (doesn't anyone pick up the phone anymore?!) and told her I wanted to ask her more about these mysterious EOs. So sure enough, a couple of weeks later, I found myself sitting in a room with a few other church friends (shout out)and learned a lot. Now, I am no expert, but I have been doing some of my own research and have found out some REALLY cool stuff! Example: The oil that is in pure, therapeutic grade, unadultereated essential oil (gosh, I sound smart) is the "blood" of the plant. And the blood of the plant is what carries the healing properties. Now, it is very important that the oils you buy are unadulterated-meaning that they don't have any crap added to them. You want the PUREST form of the oil-most of the time this comes from steam distillation, cold-pressed (citrus oils mainly), solvent extraction, and CO2 extraction. Yes, fascinating, isn't it? In my opinion, other than the proper use of oils (which we will get to in another post) this is hands-down THE MOST IMPORTANT thing about EOs. Here's the thing...there are MANY EO companies out there claiming to be the best. So, I'm putting some of them to the test. I am testing, first and foremost, the quality of the oils. Then, I will look at prices, and lastly, but still very important, customer service of each company. The oil brands that I have already tried are: Young Living, AuraCacia, Native American Nutritionals, Plant Therapy, and Nature's Kiss. *I am waiting for some from DoTerra, so I will add them later. These oils come in a wide range of oil choices as well as a wide range of prices, so I will be very fair and list all the good with all the bad and then give you my opinion. And this is all it is-my opinion. I am not being sponsored (not yet, at least! wink, wink)by any of the oil companies listed, nor am I receiving compensation for my findings. I do not and will not sell any of the above mentioned oils, however I am happy to provide links to all of their websires/blogs/facebook pages so that you can make your own choice of oils and find these companies easily. If I have left out any companies that you deem worthy of checking out, please let me know and I'll do my best to get my paws on it and try it out. I hope you'll continue my oily journey with me! Thanks y'all, and that's it for the first night back... Tune in tomorrow for another blogisode of "oily Mama"!!!

Berry Beautiful!

Fall is just around the corner and it's time to get gorgeous with a different color palette! Now I WILL be sad to say goodbye to my bronzers, but HELLOOO beautiful berries! I'm talking about those lips ladies!!! Think Tuscany on those babies! Like you just had a few sips (or large gulps) of red wine and it stained your lips just so, and everything in the world is just right for that ONE moment... as long as you didn't chug it to the point of a Kool-Aid mustache (please tell me you didn't).
Anywhoooo, I am super stoked about these awesome berries! Now before you climb into your Suburban in your nightgown to go get the latest colors before everyone else has them, don't you wanna know how to properly apply them? And don't you wanna know what the rest of your face should look like? That's what I thought.
So-first, make sure your lips are nicely exfoliated and that you aren't applying anything to dry, chapped lips. If you have no lip exfoliant, that's OK. Take an old toothbrush, dip it in a little bit of Vaseline, and gently rub it in circular motions. Then you wipe your lips off with a clean, damp wash cloth.
Next, apply lip primer. My favorite is MAC's Prep and Prime Lip. Not too much, though. This will just seal the lip-you don't want it to act as lip balm!
After, apply your berry color in LIGHT coats-you want it to stain your lips as you would a red lipstick to keep it from bleeding/feathering. Make sure to keep it within your natural lip line. Then (as with red lipstick) BLOT, BLOT, BLOT! And make sure you use a paper towel, not Kleenex or toilet paper. They're too thin and will wither leave you with one-ply lips, or with a bunch of little fuzzies and you'll have gritty lips all day-eew. I don't recommend putting gloss on top of the lipstick simply because this will cause your lipstick to "move" (it will go outside of your lip line or bleed/feather). Besides, berry lips look better as a matte or satin, in my opinion, unless you're specifically choosing a berry gloss only.
For the rest of your face, keep it simple and monochromatic. Because you're focusing on the lip, you don't want to pair this with crazy eyeshadow. I would hate to see you bust outta the house with frosty electric blue shadow and this berry lip. If you do this, I may not be able to claim you-sorry. ;) However, keep you shadows in the the soft plums, pinks, and neutrals. Cheeks will follow the same rule-no bright pink cheeks! Keep them in the soft mochas and neutrals as well. Make sure your skin looks soft and clean, not overdone with bronzer-remember, in the fall, we lose our tans from summer!
OK, now before you read this, change into some clothes before you decide to jump into your Suburban with your credit card in hand...

Here are some of my favorite berries:

My hands-down favorite because this one looks good on EVERYBODY: Clinique's Almost Lipstick in Black Honey (the picture at the top of the page)

MAC Lipstick in Craving or Captive

Stila's Cherry Crush Lip Stain

Maybelline Water Shine Fusion Berry Intense in Berry

L'Oreal's Colour Juice Lip Gloss in Cherry on Top (if you prefer a gloss)

The Truth About Oil | Real Simple

Hello all!
I was just sitting down on the....ahem, COUCH, reading a magazine the other day and came across a fascinating article that I just had to pass along to all of y'all.
It's out of Real Simple magazine, and it's about your skin and the oil(s) it needs. Even my "slick chicks" can benefit from the right kind of oil! And I tell ya, I know I was ready to bathe myself in a FryDaddy of Crisco in the winter time if it would take away my dry, itchy skin. I found all of this so interesting that I thought I would share this with you. I also love that the article is broken up into skin type, so you can skip what you're not interested in reading and cut right to the chase and read the parts that apply to you and your skin. Let me know what you think!



The Truth About Oil | Real Simple

I'm Fixin' to Help Y'all Fix your Makeup...

So you look like Alice Cooper and you have ten minutes to get out the door to go to church. Nice-now what? Never fear. As long as you aren't in your car, you should be fine. If you ARE in your car, you may have to channel your inner-Macguyver and improvise some of these helpful tips. Otherwise, we'll have you singing "How Great Thou Art" in no time. So, either hand over the keys and pull down your visor mirror or pop a squat in front of the looking glass at home and let's get to fixin' that there mess you made of yourself.

The biggest oopsie people ask about is mascara. "I was putting it on and if a gnat didn't just come and land right in my eye!" or "My cataracts are so bad I can't see if I'm comin' or goin' with that thing!" or my favorite, "I just can't stop blinkin'!" Either way, mascara is everywhere-looks like you got socked in the eye by a mechanic. If you aren't in a big hurry, and have the rest of your face to do, leave it, and let it dry. Once you are done with your face, take a dry cotton swab and just pick it /wipe it away. It will usually just come right off. If you are one of those people who puts mascara on last and you just can't wait for it to dry, then dip your cotton swab in eye makeup remover and wipe it away. The only problem with this is that you'll also be wiping all of the surrounding makeup away as well, so be prepared to re-apply.
I also get a lot of complaints about clumpy mascara. Well, quit buying that kind! ;) Seriously, if you're at the end of a tube and it starts to dry out and get clumpy, a really good tool to have in your collection anyway, is an eyelash comb. You can get these at your local drugstore (they will be plastic), or you can spring for a nicer one in metal at a place like Sephora or Ulta. These are great to help comb out the clumps. But if you're a serious penny-pincher, you can go somewhere like Sally's and buy disposable mascara wands and use them to separate your lashes, but they aren't NEARLY as good, but they are really cheap.

Next in the list of complaints is foundation. I wrote an entire blog about picking the right foundation, so I won't talk about that too much, but I'll just touch on it if you happen to have the wrong color...
If you've been in the sun and realize your foundation is too light, you should have been wearing sunscreen and a big, floppy hat to protect your face from sun damage and wrinkles. There's my jab at you, and my sunscreen plug- I'm done. Seriously, you can just deepen your shade by applying bronzer. Now, when you do this, don't apply it onto your entire face and make yourself look like someone just colored your face with a brown crayon. Think dimension-where would the sun hit your face naturally? Where are the higher planes of your face? That's where the bronzer needs to go.
If your foundation is too dark-yikes. That is not good. Your foundation should never be too dark. You can try lightening it by mixing some of it with your moisturizer, but then you're sacrificing the amount of coverage you'll get out of it on your face. I say it's best to go without foundation and maybe just powder or bronzer than to go with a foundation that's too dark. I know some of you will want to shoot me over that one!
Now if you have accidentally put on too much foundation, here's where you can use: those silly little sponges that everyone wants to use so badly! Since all they're good for is absorbing product... ta-da! The perfect use is to just dampen the sponge a teensy-weensy bit and then in a downward motion, take the sponge and wipe away the excess foundation!

Do you look like Raggedy Ann? Do you look like you have scarlet fever? Do you have two perfect circles on either side of your nose? Then you totally messed up your blush, honey. Hurry up and grab yourself a cotton ball and GENTLY rub some of that powdered blush off. And when I say "gently" that's exactly what I mean. Think about it-if you rub too hard, what's going to happen? Your cheek will turn red. Is that blush or the beating you just gave yourself trying to get it off? Once you have gently rubbed, take a little bit of powder with a brush and gently wipe it onto your cheeks and start over.

Did you decide to try something new for eyeshadow today and now you look more "freak" than "fresh"? OK-we've all done it. I wish y'all could see my first try at a smokey eye-I looked like the lead singer of The Cure.
If you've put on too much eyeshadow, I know you're probably freaking out, but don't! Just blend, blend, blend! It will eventually just start to fade, unless you used a super dark color like black . In that case, why did you decide to try something like that right before you had to go somewhere?! If you did use black, I hate to tell you, your best bet is just to start over, so take some eye makeup remover and get to it!
If you used the wrong color, or you just don't like the color, you can take a neutral matte color and use it over the color you don't like to fade it even faster and use a darker color than the original one to cover it, as well.

Eyeliner will be the death of me! I am OCD about my eyeliner, and if you've ever seen me do makeup (especially my own) you know this. I am a big fan of cream-gel liner that is applied with a brush because it is so precise and gives such a sharp crisp line. Just thinking about it gave me the chills! Lame, I know. Don't even get me started about how much a love a good winged-out cat eye-oh snap! Anywhooo...messing up on eyeliner can send me into a major, full-out, fist-pounding, head-thrashing, knee-knocking, on the ground tantrum if I can't fix it. So needless to say, in this department, I feel your pain.
Once I have the eyeliner on, and it isn't quite to my standard, cotton swabs and MAC's Gently Off Makeup Remover or Clinique's Take the Day Off Makeup Remover become my BFFs. I just dip and wipe until I get it right-hey, that could totally become my motto! And of course, I have to re-apply my shadow as needed afterwards. But what's good is that these products will remove even waterproof stuff without being oily, so it's great for my obsession.

And lastly, lips...honestly, prevention is key with lips! You really have to be careful, first of all. Just remember you have on lipstick/gloss, so don't wipe your lips all over stuff (kids, dogs, phones, fire hydrants). And then use liner to keep lip products from bleeding. DuWop (found at Sephora) makes a great "reverse lip liner". It's clear and basically seals your lips to keep your lip color in its "boundaries". Otherwise, you can still use your regular lip liner. If you didn't take preventive measures and your lipstick has feathered, dip your lip brush in makeup remover and start removing the stray lipstick. Then re-dip your brush, clean it, and then use your brush in your concealer and brush concealer around your mouth to hide any traces of leftover lipstick stain. Then use your liner and lipstick, and voila!

Is That a Mud Mask or Foundation You're Wearing?

Soooo...we've all fallen a little short of perfection in the makeup department at some point, right? It's OK to admit it. I know I certainly have-ask my mom or my husband. Mom used to tell me when I had jacked myself up with dark brown/burgundy lipstick back in my teenage years, my husband kindly lets me know when I've gotten a little heavy-handed with the blush nowadays. But for most of us, FOUNDATION is where we have the most difficulty. Either we can't find that perfect shade, or we can't find just the right formula that makes us feel that "I'm such a rock star" feeling when we look at ourselves in the rear view mirror while belting out the high notes from "Since You've Been Gone".

So fear no more, I have a few tips that may help you in finding your foundation soul mate.

First things first...

Do you really NEED a foundation? If it ain't broke, why in tarnation are you ya puttin' that there grease paint on it? All kidding aside, if you are blessed with beautiful skin, don't cover it up! Save your pennies, use a great moisturizer with an SPF to protect that gorgeous skin of yours and let it glow, honey! Just show it off with a little illuminating lotion if you like the glowy/dewy look. MAC makes Strobe Liquid that is great, and Revlon just came out with one that is a great drugstore find (plus it smells really nice). Or, if you have good skin, but you feel that you just need to "even it out" a little, a tinted moisturizer may be a good choice for you. These are nice because they serve a dual purpose and most lines carry their own. Just make sure that you choose one with an SPF of at least 25.

So, if you answered yes to needing a foundation, get comfy and keep on reading! If you're going to a department store counter or a store like Sephora or Ulta to be helped by a makeup artist or beauty consultant, DO NOT SHOW UP WEARING MAKEUP!!! It is a royal pain in the rear to take off all of your makeup before even getting started! So be considerate of the person helping you-trust me, you're coming to them for help, do you really want to irritate them from the jump? ;) Be prepared to answer questions about your skin. Are you typically oily or dry, or do you have combination skin? Are you sensitive (not you, your skin, smart alec)? What type of finish would you like for your foundation (this one always stumps people-I ask it just to see their expressions)? What problems are you experiencing with your skin (here comes the therapy session)? And so on...it seems like a lot of probing questions, but you actually want someone who is that "nosy". If not, why did you go to them for help? You might as well be flying solo...

Why we ask those questions and how you should answer them...OK-so now that we've put you in a small room with a two-way mirror with nothing but a pot of coffee and a bare light bulb dangling from the ceiling, let's get some answers out of ya. What is your skin type?
When you wash your face and dry it, how does it feel? Do you feel fine-like you could just walk right out of the house, only to notice some shiny spots later on in the day? You're more than likely a bit oily. Now you know if you're really oily if you find yourself being paranoid about it, your bangs literally stick to your forehead like sand on a Now and Later, or people ask you to stand still so they can check their reflection in your T-zone.
Now, when you wash your face and dry it, do you feel OK in most areas with just a little tightness in some? Maybe the tightness is in your cheeks or around your nose? Then you're more than likely normal/combination. You're the easiest of the bunch and have a lot of options when it comes to foundations.
Next, when you wash your face and dry it, do you find yourself clawing at your medicine cabinet desperately searching for your moisturizer because you're afraid to smile out of fear your face will crack like hardened clay? That's me-as dry as a salty fart. This is not fun skin at all.
Then lastly, can you not wash your face because merely looking at soap causes you to break out? Then you have sensitive skin. Joking aside, those of you with sensitive skin know you have sensitive skin, so I don't have to describe all of that redness, blotchiness stuff, right?

So now that we know what your skin type is, we want to know why you're here (other than the fact you want foundation, obviously). Do you have broken capillaries, redness, general uneven skin, acne, etc? Why do you feel that you need foundation? Most of the time (sorry if I hurt your feelings, here) we can see why, but sometimes we can't. Honestly, we are our own worst critics, so to you that little once-a-month breakout may be the end of the world, but to us, it's really nothing! So you may have to point out your "flaw(s)" to us.

OK-here's the question that puzzles everyone- "What finish do you like?" This is really easy, it's just that sometimes people don't really think about it because they're so concerned with coverage that they forget about the end result. Of course, you're going to discuss how much coverage you need with the person helping you-that's a given (that's why I didn't give it it's own paragraph). But, what do you want your skin to look like once the foundation has been applied? Do you like your skin to look matte (kinda powdery-a BIG no-no for dry skinned people like me), do you like it to look natural (great for those with dry or combination skin), or how about dewy (great for dry skin, not so much for those with oily skin).

Once your M/U artist or beauty consultant has put your foundation on, ask him or her for a hand mirror and go outside in natural light to see how it looks. Fluorescent lighting has never flattered anyone (especially not when trying on bathing suits-can I get an amen?) When inspecting the match, make sure that the color is placed along your jawline so that you can ensure that the foundation matches your face, neck, decollete (upper chest), and ears-yes, I said ears. If you're happy with the way it looks, smile, stretch your face a little, make sure you like the way it feels on your face, too. Make sure to ask about how to apply this foundation-is a brush the best way to apply it? Then, maybe purchasing the brush isn't a bad idea. If you really want to duplicate the look, you need the same tools. Now, keep in mind, you may love it and then get it home and not love it-that happens. So make sure you understand the return policy before you bring it home. Most stores have good return policies as long as you hang on to the receipt and boxes and YOU DON'T RETURN IT AFTER USING 3/4 OF IT! (You'd be surprised at some of my stories...)

Here are some key words for you to look for in your foundations:

Oily Skin: water-based, matte-finish, oil-free, oil-absorbing, silica, talc, non-comedogenic

Combination Skin: you will base your key words on where your dryness/oiliness is.

Dry Skin: emollient, polysaccharides, lecithin, any type of oil/silicone, demethicone, vitamins A,C,E, humectants

Sensitive Skin: Non-acnegenic, Non-comedogenic, dermatologist-tested, opthamologist-tested, fragrance-free

There are soooo many great foundations out there that I can't even begin to list them all here, but if you need help choosing one, I can try and help you as best as I can over the internet!!! www.facebook.com/thebeautymark
Again, thank you all for reading-feel free to comment either here or on facebook, I really appreciate your feedback!
I do this all in the glory of my one true Savior, Jesus Christ! 1 Peter 3:3-4
Love, Mel

Kill 'Em With Kindness!

OK, OK, I know...it's been a loooooong time since my last blog. So first off, happy new year! New year, new you, right? That's what we all say. We all swear we're going to lose 25 lbs., stop biting our nails, stop staring at ourselves in every mirror we walk by, oh wait, maybe that's just me...anyways, we're all in the same boat. We want to start fresh and wipe the slate clean. Of course I want to drop weight, be healthier, etc., but most of all, I have decided I want to BE NICE. What a general statement, right? But it's true!!! I have been known to have gotten bitten by the gossip bug a time or two, or have put my foot in my mouth and it's a horrible feeling. I know you're asking yourself, "What in the heck does this have to do with makeup?" Well, here's where I tie it all in a really pretty bow for you. Makeup Counter Etiquette! Having worked at several different makeup counters for several different lines, some of my encounters with the public have been well, shall I say (to put it KINDLY) less than pleasant?
So, as you go to a makeup counter, keep these things in mind:

1. Mind your manners. A "hello" and a smile is always appreciated. Whistles, snapping of fingers, sucking on teeth, eye rolls, and sighs WILL get you noticed, just not in the way you would like.

2. Remember that you came to the expert. Let them help you. Don't bring your mom, your friend, your friend's friend who used to work at a makeup counter with you for their opinion. If you want their opinion, show it to them after you've left the counter, otherwise, they should have been the ones helping you to start with!

3. Never just stick your fingers into the products on display. Yucky! These are the products that the artists use on faces. Granted, we have hygiene standards that we use and we clean them off beforehand, but still, what if the person standing there before you had done the same thing? Then, you just picked up their germs along with that great frosty blue shadow you just put on your lid. Hell-o, germs! Eew. Same with lipstick and glosses. The artist should dip the lipsticks in alcohol and wipe them clean before each use and the glosses should be tried on with a disposable wand and no double-dipping!

4. If you are having a full-face application done for a special event, it is standard to make an appointment ahead of time. If you do not, you have no right to complain about time constraints to the artist/manager. All counters take appointments. Having said that, most counters require or appreciate a minimum purchase for the time spent working with you. This can range from a two-item minimum to a flat $50 purchase, so be prepared. I mean, really, would you get your nails or hair done and not expect to pay? Or,(here's where I totally plug my own business-I know, seriously indulgent...)you can have a makeup artist come to your home, church, hotel, salon or wherever you are getting ready for your special event to save you the inconvenience of having to take a trip to the mall on your special day. If you'd like to do that and you live in Augusta, GA or the surrounding areas, call me at 706.399.4544 for availability and pricing (you like that?) ;)

5. Speaking of doing faces, of course makeup artists like to do makeup, that's why we do it! However, having said that, it's not like a ride at the fair where you line up at the counter to see who gets to go next to have their makeup done. We're not carnis! We have certain sales goals to meet, so if you aren't serious about trying new makeup because you would like to buy it, it isn't fair to us or to other serious customers for you to sit in the chair. So please, if you only want your makeup done because you're going out to the club because some one's album just dropped, make an appointment and plan on spending the minimum. Otherwise, ask a friend to do it!

6. Tipping is always welcomed. Most counters have beauty consultants (not artists) who are paid an hourly wage plus commission to encourage them to sell more. Makeup artists do not make commission, so any extra puts a little pep in our step!

I hope that this little tidbit of information has been an eye opener for you when it comes to going to the counter...there was waaaay more I could have written, and I may expand on this, I just have to find a NICE way to say some of it!!! =)

Love you all! 1 Peter 3:3-4
Mel