Wednesday 26 March 2014

TIPS: HOW TO FIND THE MOST FLATERRING LIPSTICK COLOR?

Did you know that the right lipstick color can make a huge difference to your look? Lipstick does not have to always be colorful and hard to pull off. Choosing the right natural- looking lipstick can be quite tricky, but here I am going to show you some easy tips on how to find the perfect lipstick color for you.

                              

Lipstick is very crucial in brightening our complexion and it is very useful to understand that certain color works better on some, than on others. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that we have an understanding on which lipstick colors are the most flaterring. The most flaterring lipstick color is one that compliments our skin tone, works harmoniously with our skin color and thus makes us looks fresher and awake. To be able to do this, you will first need to find your skin tone.


So, what are these 3 skin tones? They are cool, warm, and neutral skin tone. Cool skin tone is normally represented by pink or blue undertones (think about the pink cheeks when you blush naturally during winter). Warm skin tone has yellow undertone (think about autumn season), and neutral skin tone is a bit of both. There are few ways on how you can find your skin tone, but my favourite 2, are the wrist and accessories method.

First, let's have a look at your wrist. Do you see more of a bluish or greenish veins? If you see bluish veins, that means you have a cool skin tone. If you see greenish veins, then you have a warm skin tone. If you can't decide if they are blue or green, or if you have a bit of both, then you have a neutral skin tone. The second method is the accessories method. What color of accessories do you normally wear? Do you look better in silver, gold, bronze, black, white, off- white or cream color accessories? If you look best in silver, black and white accessories, then you have a cool skin tone. If you look best wearing gold, off- white or cream accessories, you have warm skin tone. And if you look best in bronze, gold or silver, then you have neutral skin tone.

Once you found your skin tone, it would be easier to find the lipstick color that compliments your skin coloring.



The above chart shows the difference in hues between warm and cool shades of lipstick color. Warm shades are yellow based, making it looks warmer to the eye. And cool shades are blue based, therefore does not look warm to the eye. Do you notice the difference?

Cool shades lipstick suits most skin tones. If you have cool, warm or neutral skin tone, you can wear this lip color easily. However, if you have a cool skin tone, you might not suit warm shades lipstick. Therefore, it is recommended to stick to the cool lip color shade.



Everyone has different pigmentation on the lips. The above chart shows how you can improve the lip color, without having to change it dramatically. The key here is to choose a lipstick color, 2 shades darker than your normal lip colors. If you are going for a nude look, go 1-2 shades lighter than your normal lip color. 


2 shades darker than normal lip color


Do you notice the difference between the left and the right side of the lips? The right side of the lips have lip liner and lipstick on. The left side has nothing on. The difference is very subtle, yet it makes a huge difference in enhancing your complexion. The right lipstick color should have a "This is my lips, but better" kind of attitude. 

For more tips and recommendations, please watch the video above. 

Otherwise, have fun experimenting! And don't forget to post a comment if you have found your holy grail lipstick :)



Thursday 6 March 2014

REVIEW: Long Wearing Foundations

There are many types of foundations to choose from and choosing the right foundation for your skin type can be quite confusing. Today’s topic is about medium to full coverage foundation. Let’s face it, not everyone has perfect skin and there are times when we needed that extra coverage to cover scars, blemishes or spots. Not all medium to full coverage foundations feel heavy. In fact, if need be, you can always mix your foundation with moisturiser to thin the formula a bit. In this article, I will be covering 3 foundations; Estee Lauder Double Wear, Revlon Colorstay, and MAC Studio FixFluid.

 

Revlon Colorstay
This foundation is available for normal/dry skin (with SPF 20) and combination/ oily skin (with SPF 15). The normal/ dry skin formulation provides hydration for the skin, and the combination/ oily formulation helps in absorbing oil and controls shine. The coverage is medium to full. It gives a semi- matte finish. You can also mix a little bit of moisturiser to this foundation to give it a dewy finish. The staying power of this is really good, around 10- 12 hours wear. This foundation has a tendency to feel heavy; therefore, you need to make sure that you do not use it more than you need to.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place Makeup (SPF 10)
This foundation is very good for combination/ oily skin. If you have dry skin type, this can accentuate your dry skin even more. However, you can still make it work by adding a little bit of moisturiser to this foundation. This foundation also has a thicker consistency than the Revlon Colorstay, thus providing slightly more coverage. It gives a matte finish. It does not feel as heavy on the skin, which provides more comfort while wearing it. The staying power of this is very good, around 12- 14 hours of active wear (this is not waterproof makeup. However, this foundation holds better during hot/ humid weather where you tend to sweat).

MAC Studio Fix Fluid (SPF 15)
Many people said the Revlon Colorstay is a dupe to this foundation. I would have to disagree on that. In terms of coverage, this foundation cannot be compared to Revlon or Estee Lauder. It gives a medium coverage, which is buildable, but definitely not long lasting. This foundation gives more of a dewy finish. If you have dry skin, this foundation will work beautifully on you. However, if you have oily skin, this foundation will slides and fades really easily.

I hope this review helps. Please watch the video for full review. For now, I would really love to know if you have favourite foundations. If you do, please share in the comment box below :)

Note: This review is solely based on my personal opinion.