Happy New Year + Flawless Foundation Tips

Well hello and a very happy new year! 

I am so excited to see what 2017 will bring, and looking forward to making positive changes and improvements! The holiday season was so wonderful, I was so blessed to have plenty of wonderful time with family, good food, and great memories. 

Now it is the new year, and I am making every effort to get back on track and motivated. Something that I always try to improve on this time of year is a good skin care regimen. However, Minnesota's winter is just so harsh on my skin that I often find myself battling redness, spots, dryness, and irritation. Soon spring will come and my skin will be fresh again, but until then, I've found that a really solid foundation routine is essential to help make myself feel great about my skin! 

Today I'll share a few tips and my current favorite drugstore products for a flawless face! 

 

Tip #1 

Always prep your skin prior to applying foundation! Moisturizing and priming is key for proper makeup application. I use a light moisturizer with SPF 25, and a silicone-based primer. I love the way that silicone based primers fill in any fine lines and pores and really create a smooth and texture-free base for the rest of my makeup. 

Tip #2 

This time of year, I opt for a matte finish foundation. My skin is kind of a strange combination of oily and dry, so I find that a long lasting matte finish foundation looks best on me in the winter. I just started using this L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte foundation and powder, and I am really impressed by the quality and finish. It's medium coverage and perfect for many skin types. Once you apply the powder over the foundation, you are definitely at a full-coverage and a flawless finish. 

Tip #3 

Spot conceal. This is my absolute favorite trick in makeup. Always, always spot conceal. Foundation is awesome, but it is only meant to even out your skin tone, not to create a mask and cover everything. Concealing is what is meant to cover each and every blemish. Recently I have been using this Maybelline age rewind concealer to cover my dark circles and any blemishes that I have. I just use a dense buffer brush to blend it in and take away any harsh lines. 

Tip #4

On that note, my favorite way to apply foundation is with a buffer brush. I find that sponges, while they are great for getting that beautiful sheer-glow look, absorb a lot more product than I'd like and take away from the full-coverage look that I like to go for right now. Applying foundation with your fingers is a big no-no, it just gives a very streaky look and does not blend the way that foundation was meant to be blended. There are loads of affordable, high quality foundation brushes, and I think that it is totally worth the investment. 

Tip #5

Setting spray is such a great trick! There are so many great options, high end and drugstore, that will just help to lock in your look and make it last all day. I love Urban Decay's line of setting sprays, but NYX has some great options as well. Just be sure to pick one that will provide your desired finish. 

I really hope that this helps you freshen up your foundation routine and I hope that you are having a beautiful start to your new year!! 

-Hailey

winged Liner + colorado

So, we're back from our second anniversary trip to Colorado! It was such a relaxing week in the mountains. We were blessed with awesome weather, fall colors, and beautiful sunsets. It was just what our souls needed, a rewarding week together to enjoy some good coffee, God's creation, and quality time with each other. 

The first two days that we were there I was a total mess due to my body deciding that a combination of no sleep, no water, no food, a flight, and high altitude, just wasn't going to work. After lots of water, epsom salt baths, and a good night of sleep, I was feeling much better. I was so happy on day three when I woke up feeling great and I could finally break open the makeup bag, get ready, and go enjoy Colorado with my hubby! 

We packed really, really light on this trip, so I had to pick and choose the makeup that I was going to bring and consolidate it into a little bag. This is hard for me since I typically work from a whole table full of makeup. But I made it work and I think I brought a good little kit of makeup that I was able to create a few different looks with during the week. 

This was my favorite makeup look that I did during the week. Right before we left for the week my ipsy glam bag (a bomb makeup subscription box...10/10 would recommend!) came in the mail. Included was an awesome eyeliner pen, which made me so happy because I had been meaning to pick one up ever since the beginning of fall and just hadn't got around to it!  I took a little hiatus from winged eyeliner over the summer, but now I am feeling it again and I just love how it looks. Paired with some subtle contouring and highlighting, and a nice neutral lip. Just love how this turned out. I'll definitely be rocking the winged eyeliner more often now that fall is here and winter's right around the corner! 

I know that winged eyeliner can really be a struggle. It's not an easy thing to get used to. I have a couple tricks that I think help a ton when learning and perfecting your technique. First, I think that it is just SO important to use a good felt tip liquid liner. You want a really pointy tip to the pen, it helps a lot with precision. For this look, I used this one by ciate london.  Another precision liner that I love is this one by Tarte, it is really great and easy to work with.

I've tried all different formulas for winged liner and I think that the felt tip pen is by far the best and easiest way to achieve great results.  Besides having a great liner to work with, there are a few things that you can do to make it easier on yourself.  I always make sure that I am looking down at my mirror when I create my wing. I always do my wing first and then work on dragging the liner along my eye after. I find that if I can get my two wings even, then it's not as hard to get the rest of the eye symmetrical. 

One more thing that you can try is "anchoring" your hand that is doing the lining by leaning against your vanity or countertop. This works great if you find that you don't have the steadiest hand. 

I hope this helps you in your quest for great eyeliner! Mostly I think that it just takes practice. I practice a LOT and I still have trouble getting those darn wings even sometimes. Just keep trying! If you mess up, remember that it's just makeup and you can wipe it off and start over. 

Till next time!

-Hailey

 

fall inspiration + introductions

I have waited a long time to start writing on this blog, much too long. This time of year holds so much inspiration and creative energy, what better time to begin? I'm so excited to have this space to share makeup inspiration, a little about myself, looks I've created, and products I've been loving. I'm hoping to do the occasional lifestyle post as well. 

First off, intros! I'm Hailey. I am currently 21 years of age, happily married for almost two whole years to my best friend, and mother to a grumpy hedgehog named Fitzgerald. I love to go on adventures, spend time with friends and family, shop for home decor, and drink lots of coffee.  

My favorite kind of makeup and dream job is totally to do bridal makeup. I love being there for the start of a wedding day and I love the whole fun process of getting ready and seeing a girl transform into a beautiful bride. It's such a joy to be with brides on the happiest day of their lives. 

Enough about me, moving on to fall inspiration! I'm so, so ready to try some new lip colors and eyeshadow looks this season. I'm going to be working on taking quality photos of my work and I'm excited to have some great fall colors in my portfolio! 

Fall is the perfect time to try a more bold lip, as well as cooler tones you wouldn't typically wear other times of the year. You can also get away with stronger contours, bold brows, or massive lashes as the focus of your look. I always like to chose one or two focal points for my makeup. If I'm feeling like a bold lip, I'll keep the contours soft, eyeshadow light, brows more natural. If I'm feeling the contour, I will pair it with a neutral lip, and soft, bronzy eye. But my favorite look for fall is a classic smokey eye with great lashes, and a soft, warm lip. 

I'm excited to try all of these looks and get some great photos. I'll have posts in the very near future featuring some great fall looks to try! 

Hope you enjoyed getting to know a little about me and are inspired to mix up your makeup routine for fall!  

-Hailey