Summer Glow: My favorite products for April, May and June!

Its summer time and for most of us make up is at a bare minimum; let's face who wants to do a full face when you don't have to?  With summer here every girl wants that bronzed glow while still looking natural, you know the one that makes you look like you've just vacationed in Bora Bora? We often assume it can be hard to achieve this look without pounds and pounds of make up, not true. I'm going to share with you eight of my favorite products that help me achieve a bronzed natural look. The great thing about these products are I wear them everyday and they can be taken from day into the night, enjoy!

In order of application (PS, you don't HAVE to use these products they are merely just to give you an idea)

Lancome Dual Finishing powder, $35.50 Macy's department stores - I try not to use foundation when it's extremely hot out, I try to just powder it up. I used to use mineralized skin finished natural powder by MAC, but in all honestly this just last longer. It does have a fragrance, but to my surprise it hasn't upset my stank allergies. In case you're wondering my color is Matte Suede IV.

Benefit cream highlighter in 'Girl Meets Pearl,' $30 select Macy's department stores - Okay I'm not gonna lie I've been wearing this since the winter time but it just looks so amazing, especially on darker skin. If you are a lighter skin tone for example; NC45 in Mac foundation (click on the link below to see shades), you might want to try 'High Beam' $24 Benefit cosmetics. It's a completion enhancer and does wonders for a lighter skin and cooler undertones. Don't get me wrong anyone can wear 'Girl Meets Pearl,' but it does complement dark skin and warmer undertones very well. I apply this to my very tops of my cheek bones and down the length of my nose bone. Oh and remember a little goes a long way so YES, it may be $30 but it'll probably expire before you run out.

Nars Blush in 'Super Orgasm' $27 Saks department stores - This is a soft pinky peach blush with gold flecks embedded in the pigment; it goes on extremely sheer, and has a light weight feel. Although it's a blush I use it as a highlighter; I usually use it to contour my face by applying it to the outer rim of my face, right around my hair line and jaw bone. I also apply it on top of the 'Girl Meets Pearl' which is applied to my cheek bones.

Cargo Blush in 'Laguna Beach' $26 select Macy's department stores - Okay I'm gonna be honest I hate Cargo's lip glosses and I loathe their bronzers so I was EXTREMELY (yes, it was all caps type serious) reluctant to purchase this blush, especially for $26. I was rather surprised by how pigmented the blush is. I think I only purchased it  because its a matte blush and I don't really own any matte blushes. I must say I love this blush! It can be a little intimidating at first because of the color but don't let that bright orange scare you off - you will have a glow! A little goes a long way and it I apply it on the apples of my cheeks (while smiling) with a angled top kabuki brush, don't forget to tap the brush to get excess product off before you apply.

Mac lip glass, lip gloss in 'Reveling' $14.50 Mac Cosmetics - This is a caramel colored tinted lip gloss that appears nude on my lips. Its not muted and in fact once it settles in it appears almost sheer. I own 'Mad Cap' and 'C-Thru' and this is actually my favorite in the nude family.

I don't use any eye shadow I just apply Mac's fluid line eye liner in 'BlackTrack' using a 266 angled brush by Mac. $15 for the liner and $19.50 for the brush, Mac Cosmetics. 

One my eye lashes I've been experimenting with wearing dual mascara's rather than applying lashes. I also wanted to find a way around using an eye lash primer. I'm not a lash person - I've gotten frustrated and ripped them off, complained that I can't see while wearing them and even threatened to take them off to fight several men; no judging. So for me applying four coats of two different types of mascara have been a huge option. I use Cover girl's Lash Blast Fusion in 'black brown' allow it to dry then I apply Bad Gal Lash by benefit. I allow them to dry then repeat. I wanted to give all the ladies who find paying $39 for Lancome's Oscillation power boost primer another option; so far so good, stay tuned for details.

My angled kabuki brush is by Sigma and it's a synthetic, no animals were harmed, high definition brush, $16 www.sigmabeauty.com. My powder brush is just a random $5 powder/bronzer brush I picked up a few years ago while cruising through Target. I don't believe in spending hundreds on a brush; the most I'll pay is $20. As long as it doesn't shed, it holds its shape after I've cleaned it, not too soft, and it's not made out of animal fur I'm cool!

Glowing and natural

When I'm done I race out the door feeling like a bronzed sex kitten. I hope these products help you get an idea of how to get that goddess glow yourself! 

xoxoxox,

Kandi

http://www.maccosmetics.com/product/shaded/158/471/Select-SPF-15-Foundation/index.tmpl

I think I drunk the Water!

Oh my gosh, I’m so lazy! First of all I’d like to apologize for not updating the blog since April. School took over, then I somehow found a social life, later I decided to let laziness get the best of me. So sorry hope you’re not too mad? Any way I still have so much I would like to talk about, but first things first; has anyone tried the new Armani shadows? Do you love them? If so let me know they’re supposed to be highly pigmented; at $32 a pop I think they should be able to apply themselves. Anyway, enough with cosmetic personification on to the update...

So its June, and as the weather gets nicer the sun starts to shine a little more, and for you oily ladies that means more oil secretion, I’m sorry but that's just nasty, and for us dry to combination ladies it means that our skin finds some sort of dry oily, combo plate thingy. This is not necessarily a good thing because the only benefit has been that I don’t have to layer my moisturizer. Anyway, we still have to do things to combat our “skin problems” they don’t just go away, in some cases they either get “worse” or they just go to “not so bad” to “manageable”.

Now I’ve always been one to buy into a gimmick especially when it comes to skin care and make up, for me it just depends on how the gimmick is advertised. This is where skin refreshers or facial sprays come in. Back in April I decided to purchase two face moisturizers and compare them to one another. I had it all planned out: Gimmick vs gimmick, affordable vs over priced; then I realized they are NOT the same thing in my humble opinion.

Fix+ and Evian Brumisateur facial spray

                          

Upon first glance Fix+ by MAC Cosmetics and Evian Brumisateur facial spray appear to be one and the same, I mean they do they same thing; Both products are advertised as an apparatus to keep the face hydrated and moisturized throughout the hot Summer days. However, here is where it gets a bit tricky. It is my opinion that Fix+ is more for prepping  your face for foundation application, blending into your liquid foundation so that it doesn’t cake (this is mostly for us dry skin girls), and softening certain eyeshadows that tend to have a more courser consistency. It can also be used as a finishing spray; This product boasts itself to do all these things and it does it well. However, its not its a skin refresher in my opinion as it doesn’t actually feel refreshing once you spray it on. Here’s why; it has caffeine and hydrogenated castor oil in it! These have drying properties so it doesn’t really matter that there are other moisturizing ingredients such as chamomile, panthenol, and tocophryl acetate in the product. That’s like putting sun block on thirty minutes AFTER you’ve been sitting in the sun. In other words its counter productive. So if you’re looking for a refresher look again, but if you’re looking for a product that will help you set and prep your make up, well this is for you. Side note: it does have a subtle fragrance and can set your allergies off so buyer beware! $15, 3.4oz  MAC cosmetics.

Evian Brumisateur facial spray is the complete opposite, its made up of wait for it... Evian mineral water; yup that’s it so if you type Aqua Nitrogen composition into your Google search, what you find is exactly what’s in and the ONLY thing that’s in this product. I would recommend this product for those of you with sensitive and oily skin as it does Actually refresh the face and provides a calming mist for your thirsty skin on a hot Summer day! Although it does the same thing as the Fix+, I didn’t really like the results I got when I used it to prep and set my foundation. I do keep this in the bottom of my bag, and when it gets too hot I mist away. $6, 1.7oz Select Macy’s and other department stores.

In conclusion, If I had to suggest which one to get I’d say go on and get both! However, if your money has been funny like mine, go ahead and get the Evian and work it on out, especially since the Evian is the one you’re more likely to carry around in your purse this summer.
Until next time Cherry Pie!