Ever Wonder How To Keep Your Makeup On Your Face All Day?

Primer. Primer. Primer.

Everyone is always asking me how I get my makeup to stay on (all day) perfectly so, I figured I would share my secret with everyone…*drumroll please*…PRIMER!! I wear a foundation primer as well as an eyelid primer every single time I wear makeup! I really think it’s pointless to go through all the effort of putting on makeup if your skin is not properly prepped. FYI Apply foundation primer after moisturizing and BEFORE any makeup application.

Currently, my favorite foundation primer is Benefit’s “POREfessional Primer.” It’s oil free and actually helps reduce the appearance of pores and fine wrinkles. It makes your skin feel silky smooth and actually helps maintain a matte finish to your skin throughout the day. Most importantly, it helps keep your makeup in place ALL DAY LONG! ($30.00)

My second favorite foundation primer is Smashbox’s “Photo Finish Light Primer” (aka the white bottle). This actually used to be my favorite primer of all time. But then I discovered Benefit’s primer which is about $6.00 less in price. I really can’t say one bad thing about this primer at all! I think that it offers a little less coverage to pores because the primer is translucent whereas Benefit’s primer is beige in color. Just like Benefit’s primer Photo Finish Light helps maintain a matte finish to your skin. ($36.00)

As far as eyelid primers go there is only one primer, in my opinion, that matters and it's Urban Decay’s “Primer Potion”in the original formula (aka the purple tube). This is hands down a makeup MUST HAVE!! Don’t even waste your time with eye shadow if you are not priming your lids with this first. You will NEVER have eyeshadow creasing on your lids again! I cannot stress enough what a wonderful product this truly is. It holds your shadow in place and prevents eyelids from getting greasy (which is what leads to creasing). This product also provides an amazing base to your eyeshadow to allow you to get the most saturated color out of your shadow application. The original primer is relatively translucent once applied. Urban Decay also sells three other formulas; a more opaque primer called “Eden," a metallic primer with gold undertones called “Greed,” and a metallic primer with pink undertones called “Sin.” No matter what look you are trying to achieve with your shadow, they have something for everyone! You can even use the metallic primers as eye shadow on their own, that’s how pretty they are!

• Here’s an important tip for eyelid primer application: Make sure to apply primer to your eyelids as well as the area on your lower eyelid too (under lower eyelashes)! You want to have surrounded your entire eye with primer that way any place you decide to apply shadow it will stay in place. FYI I always apply eyelid primer after all foundation, concealer, and powders are applied. Obviously, apply primer BEFORE eyeshadow. ($20.00)

I can’t tell you how many people assume (since I’m a makeup junkie) that I always carry makeup on me. I always get asked if I have a bronzer, powder, blush or mascara to borrow, and the truth is I NEVER carry ANY makeup with me (well, besides lip stuff) nor do I ever reapply. I do my makeup early in the morning and it lasts me my entire work day and even through a night out (which includes dancing and sweating, TMI, I know). The most I will do is gently blot my face to absorb any shine, but that is it! I truly believe that I have my primers to thank for this!

I hope this helps anyone who has ever felt that their makeup slides off their face halfway through the day! (Questions and comments are always appreciated!)

xo Luann

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Ever Wonder How to BEST Accentuate Your Eyes?

Choose Eyeshadow According to the Color of Your Eyes: 

The Darker The Hair, The More You Can Wear…

Women with dark eyes, usually have darker skin tones & hair as well; therefore, they can get away with more variety than someone with lighter eye color, skin and hair. That is why a lot of times someone with dark eyes (like me) will usually go with a smokey grey, dark eggplant, or navy blue color of eye shadow. For some of you this can be a little too extreme, so there is nothing wrong with sticking to the good old browns and neutral colors.

The colors that tend to be more complimentary towards women with darker eye colors are eye shadows that are opposite to the person’s eye color (i.e. green, purple/lilac, blue or even pink).

Neutral colors like browns and warm bronze colored eyeshadows are a great way to enhance your eye color, while not feeling as if you are overly made up.  They also add a nice touch of color that can look more natural, which in my opinion is a great option for that NON-boring “every day” look, but be careful because certain tones can look muddy against your beautiful brown eyes.

*Oh, and if you have gold flecks in your eyes you may want to try an eyeshadow that has a gold shimmer to it.

Blue Eyed Beauties…

Women with blue eyes look best with warm brown shades (a.k.a earth-tones), peach, taupe, and slate colored grays. Remember that blue is considered a “cool” color whereas browns and peaches are considered “warm” colors so, if you are going for a more mesmerizing look those are the shades for you! Trust me, this juxtaposition of contrast results in the blue eyes REALLY popping out! For the risk-takers out there try a nice rose or terracotta colored eyeshadow.

Green Eyed Goddess…

In order to get green eyes to pop, you should try wearing various purple shades. The contrast in color to your eyes will make them seem more dramatic. If you want your eyes to stand out, but look more natural, you may want to try warmer mocha brown shades or warm colors with slight orange undertones.

Basic eyeshadow colors for green eyes would be earth tones with slight hints of gold, taupe colors, mocha browns, and lavender-purple shades. Since most green and hazel eyes have a variety of flecks, I encourage you to experiment with these colors so you can find the perfect one for your eyes!

Don’t Forget...

Naturally, the more pale your skintone is, the lighter the shades of your eyeshadow should be, UNLESS you are going out or just looking for a more dramatic look.

Keep in mind that you should have fun with your eyeshadow and it shouldn't be a stressful process. A general rule of thumb with eyeshadow is to first compliment your eye color.  But, make sure it doesn’t contrast your clothing. (i.e. don't wear a purple based eyeshadow on your blue eyes while you are wearing a coral toned shirt). Try to keep your clothing and eyeshadow in the same color scheme or family, or at least a complimentary family.

Finally, remember that sometimes less is more. Don't add 5 layers of green eyeshadow on your brown eyes, thinking that it will make them look fabulous. Often times a slight hint of color is all your eyes need to really pop and look AMAZING.

To Sum It Up...

•    Blue: Rich warm browns, warm taupes and soft peaches

•    Green & Hazel: Golden browns, warm taupes, deep purples, soft peaches & soft violets.

•    Grey: Charcoal, cool brown and purple.

•    Brown: KNOCK YOURSELF OUT...Us lucky women get to wear any color we want!

Hope everyone has learned something and enjoyed my FIRST BLOG post!! 

To learn more go to my Facebook page

xo Luann

The PERFECT Red Lip

Here are my favorite tips to creating the 'perfect red lip': 

Click here to see my makeup pics and more!

Start by finding a red that works for you. Go to a makeup counter and ASK for help or, play around with a few shades you find in a drugstore. If you have not worn a red lip before I also suggest wearing it around the house a few times to get yourself used to it. Many women think they 'can't pull off a red lip' but that's NOT true! Everyone can do it, you just have to find a flattering shade for your complexion. (My two personal favorites are MAC's MAC Red & Russian Red).

Application Tips (see photo above):

MOISTURIZE
1. Start out by making sure your lips are moisturized! The key to any flawless lipstick application is making sure that your lips are properly hydrated. (You can buy expensive 'lip primers or bases' but I personally think any form of Chapstick works like a charm). Apply any lip balm or Chapstick of your choice. Be careful not to put on too much, you only need one light layer to subtly soften your lips before you apply liner.

LINE
2. For beginners, a clear lip liner such as the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencil (in Ozone) is really helpful. Simply outline your lips (just outside the natural line of your lips). This clear pencil will essentially act as a barrier and keep you from 'coloring outside of the lines' with your red pencil. Next, take your red liner (my favorite is MAC's Cherry lip pencil) and outline your lips. I think it's helpful to start at the middle of your top lip and then line downward but, do what feels most natural to you. Try to make your strokes as long as possible instead of a bunch of small overlapping dashes. Concentrate on how the outside of the line looks. Don't worry about how messy the inner part of your lips look as the lipstick application will even this all out.

APPLY
3. Apply your red lipstick of choice. You want to get pretty close to the edge of the liner but not so close that you go over it and make your line uneven. Apply several layers as you do not want to rub your lips together to distribute red lipstick because that is what causes lipstick to eventually get on your teeth! You can go back over your lip with the liner to even out any mistakes or just to make your line more crisp.

...THEN REMOVE (sorta)
3.5 The BEST tip I can give you for not getting lipstick on your teeth is...are you ready for this?!...stick your (pointer) finger in your mouth and close your mouth around it. Gently pull your finger out and wipe any lipstick off your finger. Repeat that step again. DO NOT rub your lips together at all after you have done this. When you press/rub your lips together it puts lipstick back on that inner rim of your lips which will always wind up on your teeth.

SMILE
4.You've successfully conquered your first red lip application and, nothing goes better with a sassy red lip than CONFIDENCE!!

xo Luann

The key to perfect makeup is perfect SKIN, find my favorite products here!

Lashes For Days...

Ever wondered how to get the perfect lashes without all the hassle of gluing on fake ones?!

Well, I totally have some amazing tips to show you how...Click here to check out my makeup pics and more!

MASCARA

First things first, it's important to have good mascara! I DO NOT believe that one single mascara can do it all so, I've always combined 2-3 mascaras. The two I have not stopped using since I was 16 years old are Lancome's Definicils (not waterproof) and Hypnose Drama (not waterproof). I have found drugstore brands that can replace the Hypnose, but NOTHING can replace Definicils (in my opinion). Anyway, whatever brand you chose, make sure to find one mascara that lengthens/defines and another one that volumizes.

APPLICATION 

The key to amazing lashes is to curl them!!! You will NEVER achieve as good of a look without curling them, I promise you! The best kept secret to creating the perfect-long-lasting-curl is to heat up your eyelash curler with the blowdryer! Let the blowdryer heat up the curler for 10-15 seconds. Be sure to test the curler on your hand before you put it on your eyelid and burn yourself. Just like all of our favorite hair tools, the eyelash curler works wonders with heat! Now, curl your lashes alternating between pulsing grips and long holds, do this for 30-40 seconds per eye. (any eyelash curler is fine, the brand I use is MAC)

Once you've curled your lashes it is time to apply mascara. Start with your defining mascara, apply it all over both of your upper eyelashes and then apply it to both lower lashes (NO dipping the wand back in the bottle in between). Then, follow this up by applying your volumizing mascara the same way you did with the defining one. Once both are applied comb your lashes out to eliminate any clumps. I SWEAR by my 1997 Revlon Everylash mascara comb! This product isn't made anymore but you can find it on eBay (Sephora also sells eyelash combs). When you are done combing your lashes out, repeat the mascara application again. That's a total of 4 applications, 2 of each mascara (for a night out I will even do a 3rd coat). Comb lashes out again and, voilà you're all done! (*Note: I always do lashes after all my eyeshadow is applied. But, if you tend to get a lot of mascara on your lids, you should do your lashes first and then do your eye makeup)

Everyone has always complimented me on my lashes and, I'm confident that anyone can achieve the same look using these simple steps!! 

(Click here to see my makeup pics and more!)

xo Luann

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How To Achieve Kissable Lips Overnight...

I recently tried this out and it worked SO well that I HAD to share it with everyone...

(Click here to check out my makeup pics and more)

I know this is going to sound awful but, trust me it actually works! If you want the softest, most-perfectly-hydrated and kissable lips then VICKS VAPORUB is your new best friend!!! I read about this a few weeks ago and decided to put it to the test. I know I might be more daring than most in doing this but, I figured I had nothing to lose since I'm Puerto Rican and pretty much already over use Vicks in general! lol

Anyway, I really recommend trying this because it truly worked better than anything else I have ever done. Anyone who knows me knows that I literally have 5 different lip balms and Chapsticks in random places all over my bed because I absolutely HATE having dry/chapped lips.

What To Do...

• Before bed apply a moderate amount of Vicks onto your lips. Get a good night's rest and when you wake up your lips will be completely transformed! The smell is a bit strong at first but after the first few minutes it really isn't bad. *I apologize in advance to any boyfriends or husbands for any pain and suffering caused by the smell of Vicks as a result of my post*

Try it out and let me know what you think!!

xo Luann

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