Capsule Makeup For Fall '14

You've heard of the capsule wardrobe by now I'm sure. As I mentioned last week, I am currently getting my wardrobe picks finalized, and then right in the middle of it all, I had an epiphany!! Huge lightbulb moment! What if I applied these very same rules and principles to my makeup?! Genius maybe, kinda stupid to some, but to me it sounded like the exact challenge I needed. I'm so damn tired of it taking me 20+ minutes to get my day makeup on every morning, so I'm going to capsulize my routine. It's not that I wear a ton of products at once, I just have about a million options available, and that takes time to sort through/decide on what to wear. My makeup capsule is going to involve a very small (to me) selection of makeup that I will use exclusively for each season. I'm going to not buy any makeup at all during the current season, and I'm even going to put my makeup samples from Birchbox and Ipsy on hold (or I'm going to try to anyway, need to email them about that!). I want to invest in more expensive/nicer makeup, so this will hopefully help me realize what I truly want to splurge on. My philosophy is: you can never know what you need until you get rid of the excess. Here's to hoping this works (and that I don't go crazy for eyeshadow palettes come winter!).

Here's the checklist if you want to do this too:

-One foundation or BB Creme
-One concealer (try to use a universal one if possible)
-One blush
-Bronzer (only if you need it)
-One eyeshadow palette
-One brow filler (shadow or pencil)
-One eyeliner (crayon)
-One eyeliner (liquid)
-One mascara (+ curler, I'm not really counting this as separate from mascara)
-Brushes: keep this as limited as possible, and try to get a multitasking one if you can
-Lipstick/gloss: limit to 3 options only (not including chapstick, that's more of a moisturizer to me)

-Not included: face moisturizers, SPFs, primers, smudgers, etc.

Here's my selection, with links:

(If you look closely, you can see my crappy pedicure...)

Let's see what we've got here: 

-Foundation: L'oreal Magic Nude Liquid Powder in Classic Ivory HERE

-Concealer (that poor label, guess I use this a lot): Maybelline Age Rewind/Dark Circle in Light (I think, it's faded) HERE

-Blush: City Color Be Matte Blush in Fresh Melon HERE (Ipsy fave)

-Bronzer: Smashbox Bronze Lights in Warm Tan HERE

-Blush/Bronzer brush: Old, it's Smashbox (it came with the finishing powder I bought for my wedding)

-Eyebrow shadow: Smashbox Photo Op Eye Trio in Focal Point, using the brown shade obviously HERE

-Eyebrow brush: Sephora (old, similar HERE)

-Eyeshadow: Urban Decay palette Naked2 HERE (includes a double sided brush)

-Eyeshadow brushes: the one included in the palette and this one too (I don't know where I got mine but the link is to a very similar one)

-Eyeliner (Crayon): Noir Cosmetics Long Wear Eyeliner HERE one shade available only (Birchbox fave)

-Liquide Eyeliner: Maybelline Line Stiletto Ultimate Precision Liquid Eyeliner HERE in blackest black

-*Mascara + curler: curler is old but mascara is Rimmel Scandalous Curve in black HERE

-Lipstick/gloss: TBD (I need to think about this for a little bit longer)

*This might change, I'm on the fence about it. I'll let you know what I end up with. 

Not pictured: my eyeliner crayon smudger. I love this one, but I don't love the eyeliner it's attached to. So I kept an old used up liner and continued to use the smudger. (Also, I'm being told that "smudger" isn't a word, but that's impossible since I use it just about every day, right? Is that how words work?...)

Also not pictured: this eyeshadow primer. It's a sampler packet from Urban Decay, and I would strongly suggest getting it before you buy the full product to see which one you like best. Plus each sample lasts me about 7ish wears, crazy right? I literally just got a month's worth of free primer! Samples man, I live for them! Ugh, not getting Birchbox and Ipsy is gonna be HARD!

I haven't picked my lipstick/gloss choices yet but I'll have those ready this week. I need to see what I'll realistically wear and what will go with my usual heavy eyeshadow/liner. If anyone is interested in what moisturizers and SPFs I use please let me know and I'll link ya up! 

I'm really happy about dialing down my makeup. And to be clear, I only wear makeup because it makes me happy. I go without it when I don't feel like putting it on. I don't need it in my life, I just like it. It's fun to try new looks and tricks. It's my most versatile accessory and I think of it just like that--an accessory that isn't needed but is nice to have on when you feel like it. Please keep this in mind for all my future makeup posts and for yourself as well. You are way more beautiful as yourself than with makeup on. 

Have a good night,

xo HM

My Quick Beauty Tips and Tricks // 001

I've been getting a couple questions lately about some beauty tips, so I thought I would share a few here and there whenever I have some time. I'm sure to do a follow up with more, but for now, here are five picked at random. If you want something specific covered or have a question, leave them in the comments section or email me.

Hey it's my vanity! :)

-Use a Dove bar of soap instead of shave gel. This is a tip I got from an article about a leg model (Women's Health or Women's Fitness, sorry can't remember!), so I figured if she is paid to show off her stems her methods must be working. If you're like me, and use way too much shave gel/body wash/shampoo in one sitting, then this is a great way to save you some money. I used to get the jumbo pack of shave gel at Costco, and while that's cheap, it isn't quite as cheap as a bar of soap. So I switched over to the Dove bar once my family sized shave gel supply ran out (way too fast because over user right here), and I love it. I think I love it more than shave gel, to be honest. It's easy to use, super gentle on my skin, and for only $1 per bar, you can't get much cheaper. Try it out and see if you like it too. You'll only be out a dollar if you don't. (I really want to try making my own body wash too, and I'll definitely be using this DIY HERE).

-Prevent eyeshadow creases by using a primer first. I looooovvveee eyeshadow. I'm much more likely to wear it than bold lipstick. But when I would put my makeup on in the morning (7am), by the time I go to the gym, then go home, it had all but vanished, save for a crease mark. I know what you're thinking--of course it wore off because you were at the gym (ps I work out in my makeup, which I know is a bad habit, but I have yet to break out from it, soooo...). But the reality is, it wore off probably by mid-day/lunch. So I found that a primer, such as this Urban Decay one HERE, makes my shadow last literally all day long until I wash my face at night. Yes, even at the gym through my interval workouts where I fear I'm sweating off my eyebrows, my shadow stays put. Speaking of eyebrows...

-Fill in your brows with eyeshadow instead of pencil. This might not be ideal for everyone, but it's been my experience that most makeup artists prefer to use eyeshadow to fill in brows to make sure they don't look too perfect. A pencil can still work too, but I have more luck with eyeshadow. Plus my brows are super dark, always have been, so I have a hard time finding a pencil in my shade. Currently I use this brown HERE by Smashbox, in the trio called Focal Point. It's super dark and perfect. Kind of a coffee tone. Also the gold it's paired with was my favorite, it was used up very quickly! If you are afraid of your brows falling off throughout the day, just put a clear coat of brow gel over them after you put on the shadow. It just looks like clear mascara, and your brows should last you all day long.

-The only way you will get good at doing a cat eye, is by doing one every day. If you aren't that great at applying liquid eyeliner, try practicing applying it every single day. You will eventually get so good at it that it will go on quickly and look amazing, trust me. Don't use a stencil, that's not teaching you how to do one, it's just a useless "training wheel" concept. Also know that you can never make both eyes identical, just accept that fact. Start applying it before your eyeshadow, in case you mess up and have to remove it. If you mess up part of it, take a damp Q-tip and swipe off the liner little by little, being gentle obviously. Then after you've got your liner on, do your eyeshadow, and then retrace your liner to make it look like it was applied over your shadow the whole time. My favorite liquid liners are drugstore brands like Loreal and Maybelline. Seriously, the expensive ones always peel or rub off for some reason.

-Dark under eyes? Drink more water. This might be obvious to some people, but I never thought this would help my blue under eye circles so much. A couple of months ago my doctor told me to start taking vitamins. So I started taking a multi vitamin and you know how they turn your pee neon-highlighter yellow? I wanted to be so hydrated every day that I would get rid of that effect. Personal challenges are my number one motivator apparently, because I started drinking a ton of water, and my skin started to change. It no longer was dull and dry, so I didn't have to moisturize as much. Plus, my very dark under eye circles that I thought I was just stuck with have really lightened up! It's been about 2-2.5 months now, and I would highly recommend trying this. You can't go wrong keeping yourself hydrated, and the benefits can make your beauty routing easier, you feeling better, having more energy, and all around being a better (hydrated) version of you!

That's it for now! Have a great weekend! I'm planning on working out and sipping wine, as usual. Also, I'm downsizing my wardrobe, and I'm going to start planning my capsule wardrobe for fall. I've always wanted to do this and since it seems to be gaining some popularity recently, I figure I might as well hop on board. Now or never, right? Something like that anyway. I'll keep you updated on it, and I'll try to post outfits as I go. (Check out what a capsule wardrobe is from the pro HERE. I'm following all her tips on how to do this).  

xo HM