beachy and beautiful: beauty advice

From dearest Yllana who also requested this post on what to wear to prom: 

Dear La C,

I’m just really happy that your blog has made so many of us readers inspired and appreciative of what the fashion world has to offer. It gives us a chance to express ourselves and that taking risks is a good thing. I definitely enjoy reading your blog everyday in the midst of long hours doing homework till the wee hours of the morning. 🙂 The main reason why i’ve written to you is because I wanted to know how I could achieve the simple and natural beachy look without wearing too much makeup. Normally, I don’t wear any makeup at all and so my skin is able to breathe freely and I don’t ever break out. So that’s a plus! However I wanted to try to wear a bit of makeup for once and see how it turns out. I’ve worn eyeliner but that’s pretty much it. I do have fair light skin and i’m Filipino, so I just wanted to know what you would recommend for me. I hope whatever I said made sense. lol. Thank you so much! I appreciate your time in reading this.

If only I was the beauty guru in which my advice would be completely dependable and legitimate. But I again make my disclaimer: I am no avid make-up wearer (I live by the motto au naturel partially [if not wholly] because of my inability to dedicate a minute longer in front of the mirror in mornings). Though I do pride myself in having mastered the art of smokey eyes, liquid cat-eyes, highlighting, & contouring. Yes indeed.

The inspiration.

image source: tfs

Vanessa’s face splashes this post for two reasons: (1) a source of inspiration who has a similar ethnicity & has a lighter, olive skin-tone and (2) I adore her, no matter how contrived people think her to be. I absolutely  a d o r e  her makeup; this is one of the few, however, where she is not wearing too much liner. It’s quite easy to accomplish, and can look natural if you tone it down just a notch.

1. A light coverage of your foundation is, really, all you need for that flawless skin. It also doubles as a base (quite similar in art when artists choose to coat their canvas with a bit of gesso), which allows layering makeup to stay put. Maybelline’s Dream Matte Mousse is god-sent. And so affordable! (Tip: If you can’t find your exact match, I find that something a shade lighter is much better than a shade darker; you can always cover up with bronzer, or, the shade will be a perfect winter color!).
2. Spritz a bit of cold water on your makeup wedge/sponge applicator, and lightly go over your entire face with it. Not only will it remove excess foundation, but help blend the color for a flawless and slightly sheer finish. It makes it seem more natural.
3. Line your waterline with a dark brown. Get in between those lashes! Dark brown pencil defines your eye shape, but is not as dramatic or harsh as blacks can sometimes be. Line the top of your lids with a brown eye kohl. Once again, get as close as you can to the lashes. A kajal eye pencil, like those by Rimmel, are perfect for light application and smudging the line. Take a Q-tip and “erase” that line. Which essentially smudges it for a slightly smokey but natural look that mimics the shading of the lid.
4. Apply a shadow, several shades lighter than your skin tone, to the inner corners of your eyes & right beneath your eyebrows. It adds sparkle and opens your eyes; the perfect colors for your inner corners usually have a gold shimmers, or is a pastel yellow-gold shade. MAC’s Shroom is the quintessential highlighting color; it’s such a gorgeous champagne that works on everyone.
5. Now the bronzer. Find a color a few shades darker than your skin tone. Use a kabuki brush, swirl it in the powder, and make that fish face. Apply the bronzer in the hollows of your cheeks, your temples, and outline your hairline. Be sure to blend, blend, blend!
6. For that dewy, fresh glow. I am completely obsessed with MAC’s mineralized skinfinishes. They do wonders for your face! Apply it on your cheekbones, a little on the nose, a dab on the chin and between the eyebrows.

Evening looks are quite the same; instead of using a champagne colored highlighter for the inner corners of your eyes, use a yellow shade with gold shimmers (MAC Goldmine) for intensity. Line the top and bottom of your eyes with the Rimmel Kajal eyeliner, forming a winged tip. Blend the liner out just a bit onto the lid, then go over it with a neutral colored shadow like Estee Lauder’s Pure Color in Nutmeg. Apply a deep, chocolate-y brown (I absolutely swear by Estee Lauder Pure Color in Chocolate) over that shade for a sultry, smokey look. If you want, blend a bit of gold shadow over the dark brown for an even more dramatic look. Finish as you would with bronzer & highlighter!

As for the lips.

A nude pink or nude with a hint of gold is perfect! The nude color should only be a shade lighter than your lips for a more natural look.

Bisous,

La C.