Archive for the FACE PRIMER Category

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August Giveaway Alert and Fall Fashion Focus

Posted in BEAUTY TREATMENT, FACE PRIMER, FASHION, GIVEAWAYS, MAKE-UP, SKINCARE on August 1, 2012 by stylebymeli

August Welcome:  Is it me or do the summer months just seem to go by that much faster?!  As much as I love the leisureliness of summer, I have to admit that my mind has already fast-forwarded to fall.  Fall has always been my favorite season as I love the transition of weather and the fashion is often unbeatable.  A lot of my inspiration comes from perusing the runways and I wanted to jumpstart this month with a look at Lanvin’s 2012 collection:

Lanvin 2012 – I love the dramatic feminineness behind this collection along with its exquisitely modern glamour and opulent taste.   

This month I would like to share more fall fashion along with some new beauty treats I’m currently obsessed with!  I’m always trying new products and the best part is being able to share them through my blog!

Being that I always stress the importance of a good primer, this month’s giveaway is a mini primer set that features three of Tarte’s best makeup priming products! 

Moving onto this month’s giveaway…

Enter this month’s giveaway, details below…

August 2012 Beauty Giveaway:

Tarte Clean Slate deluxe primer trio – mini sampler set:
-  Clean slate poreless primer
-  Clean slate flawless primer
-  Clean slate 360 creaseless primer

Rules:

- Open internationally to followers of Style by Meli.  (Either via Twitter,Facebook Fan page, OR e-mail subscribers [to subscribe, enter your e-mail in the sidebar])
- Ends midnight EST on August 31st, 2012 and a winner will be drawn at random.
- Winner will be notified shortly upon winning and be expected to give mailing address for prize to be sent to.

How to enter:

1 – Leave a comment on any of my posts in the month of August to be considered for this month’s giveaway.  The comment can be about ANYTHING pertaining to my blog.  (Within the comment, please state if you follow my twitter, FB, or subscribe, so it’s easy for me to confirm).

Remember, I will allow for up to 3 entries/comments per person for each monthly giveaway!  Good luck!

I will also be accepting new ideas/topics of interest that can be posted within a comment…

[Hot Topic:  What fall trends are you most excited about this month?]

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[My Thoughts on...] – BB Creams…Along with What They Are and What They Do

Posted in FACE, FACE PRIMER, FOUNDATION, MAKE-UP, MELI'S THOUGHTS ON..., SKINCARE, TINTED MOISTURIZERS with tags , , on July 23, 2012 by stylebymeli

I feel as though BB creams are not only popping up everywhere in the beauty world, but there is an incredible amount of hype regarding these miracle creams. 

For starters, many people may not be completely familiar with the term, “BB cream.”  BB cream stands for “beauty balm” or I have also seen them referred to as a “blemish balm.”  They originated in Asia and have been around for quite sometime, but are just making its way into Western markets.  

In terms of its purpose, it is considered to be an all-in-one cosmetic product that serves as a moisturizer, primer, foundation, sunblock, and skin smoother.  Depending on the brand, these skin boosting elements can vary, but essentially each BB cream is designed to achieve many great things with just one step, one product.  Ahh, sounds like a dream come true!

[Beauty Confession]:  Personally, I have yet to invest in a BB cream.    

Is it something I will be likely to do in the future?  Perhaps.  I do like the idea of having an all-in-one product for days that I have about two minutes to apply face makeup and run out the door.

However, at the end of the day, I don’t like to cut corners when it comes to makeup application.  I just don’t like the idea of using one product for the whole face because the face is too intricate and each surface area has different needs.  Keep in mind, I use two brushes just to apply my foundation and layer a few skin products before I even get to the foundation.

Also keep in mind that as an artist, I always strive for visual perfection and my standards for “perfection” are much greater than the everyday person.  While some strive for convenience and a quick one-step process, I’m most concerned with the overall visual end result.  I just don’t feel a BB cream can create this visual perfection on its very own.

I always like to share this analogy: “Do you prefer using a shampoo conditioner OR a separate shampoo with a separate conditioner?”  So far, 100% of the time, people have always responded that they rather use separate products.  Why?  It’s more effective that way.  This is how I feel regarding BB creams.  The concept behind them are great but at the end of the day, I have no problem using as many as ten separate products for the face knowing that it will not only work more effectively but also visually make the most impact.

[Do you use BB creams? If so, which brand would you recommend?]

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A Look Inside My Makeup Kit – What Products I Use and What’s Most Essential

Posted in EYE MAKEUP, EYELINER, FACE, FACE PRIMER, FALSE EYE LASHES, FOUNDATION, LIPGLOSSES, LIPS, LIPS - LIPSTICKS, MAC MAKE-UP, MAKE-UP, MAKE-UP BRUSHES, MAKEUP BRUSHES, POWDERS, PRODUCTS I LOVE, SHOPPING, SKIN HIGHLIGHTING, SKINCARE, TINTED MOISTURIZERS on June 17, 2012 by stylebymeli

Here is a photo I took of my kit after setting it up from this past weekend. As you can see, I’m set and ready to go!

So I realize it may seem that I have taken an extended leave of absence from my blog and I’m going to try to make up for it as much as I can from now until the end of the month!  I thought it would be nice to share some information regarding my professional makeup kit and what I stock it with.

Skincare - I always like to emphasize that skincare is a necessity as it will make or break the foundation application.  I keep a handful of moisturizers depending on a person’s skin type (normal, dry, oily) including tinted moisturizers from MAC and Korres.  I also have a full range of foundation primers and not loyal to any brand in particular.  Other good skincare products to have are eye creams to decrease puffiness underneath and for brightening.

Face - In terms of foundations, I currently carry MAC and Face Atelier.  I carry every shade that MAC offers so I’m not left having to mix shades (unless of course I can’t find a true match).

With powders, I carry all of MAC’s mineralize skinfinishes.  I also carry some of MAC’s studio careblend powders which I’m also a huge fan of and in time would like to get every shade.  I also have blot powders, both pressed and loose.

With concealers and color correctors, I have MAC, Bobbi Brown, Cinema Secrets, and Shiseido.

With blushes, I mainly carry MAC blush palettes, but also have some loose ones from NARS and MAC’s mineralize blushes.

With bronzers and highlighters, I’m using MAC and NARS mainly.

Eyes - In terms of eye shadows, I ONLY carry MAC as they offer an extensive color range with different textures and beautiful pigmentation.  I have over 150 colors in my kit!

With eyeliners, I carry liquid, gel, and pencils from MAC and Korres.

With eyeshadow bases, I only carry MAC’s paint pots.  I’ve tried many others including Urban Decay’s primer potient, but still find myself incredibly faithful to MAC.

With brow products, I mainly use eye shadows to fill in the brows but also carry brow powder kits from Urban Decay and Anastasia, which are truly great.

With mascara, I don’t have any brand loyalty.  Currently, I am carrying Clinique, Mabelline, and MAC.

With false eyelashes, I’m actually a fan of Revlon, Kiss, and Salon Perfect’s demi wisps are fabulous!

Lips - I carry a ton of lip liners which I like to use for coloring the lip for staying power along with double-ended long-wearing lip products such as MAC’s Pro Longwear (I’ve been obsessed with these for myself for years), but also finding other brands that carry similiar products such as Lorac and Covergirl.  I also have a handful of MAC lipsticks and lip palettes.

With lipglosses, I carry pretty much any brand.  I’m not loyal to one specific brand because to me, a lipgloss is a lipgloss.  Plus, I just like keeping a variety for my clients to choose from.

Besides makeup, what’s most essential in one’s makeup kit are the tools. It’s really important to find the best brushes and ones you feel most comfortable with. Personally, I absolutely cannot blend eyeshadows without a MAC #217 (seriously!), so it is for this reason that I carry a few of these in my brush belt.  

[Do you have any kit essentials?]

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[Makeup Question] – Tinted Moisturizer with Face Primer…(Is it Necessary and in What Order?)

Posted in FACE, FACE PRIMER, FOUNDATION, MAKE-UP, MAKE-UP QUESTIONS, MAKEUP QUESTIONS, SKINCARE, TINTED MOISTURIZERS on June 8, 2012 by stylebymeli

MELI’S ANSWER:  This is a great question and one that I get a lot as a makeup artist.  I am also a huge fan of tinted moisturizers and wear one pretty much everyday as my form of foundation.

In terms of the face primer, YES!  Personally, I never skip a face primer.  I totally see a visual difference in the appearance of my skin when I use one versus when I don’t use it.  I realize that not everyone is a visual perfectionist like myself and may not see much of a difference, but besides making the surface of the skin look ultra smooth and flawless (by filling in lines and masking pores) prior to foundation, the face primer will also extend the longevity of your face makeup.  

Face primer is one of the few products that actually accomplishes a whole lot within one product, so I cannot even imagine life without it at this point.  It’s one quick, easy extra step and totally worth it if you take the time to wear face makeup.

Okay, the second part of this question really comes down to a personal preference (meaning there is no right or wrong answer in my professional opinion).  As I had mentioned, the tinted moisturizer is serving as my FOUNDATION.  So, I completely pretend it’s my foundation.

Meaning I still go ahead with my normal skincare regime:  serum, moisturizer, and primer.  Then afterwards, I conceal and apply the tinted moisturizer.  I know some are thinking, why are you using two moisturizers?  Isn’t that overkill?  Honestly, I don’t see the harm in using two moisturizers.  Perhaps if one has oily skin, it may be completely unnecessary to use two.  Keep in mind, I’m also using all of my skincare products very sparingly.  I may use a ton of products to create the perfect face, but when using more products, you can get away with using such a lesser amount of each product and so in the long run, the products are going to last much longer.

FYI, the first moisturizer I use usually has a high dosage of SPF and other properties to suit the needs of my skin (such as anti-blemish and anti-aging).  That’s why I do not like to skip it completely and have the tinted moisturizer replace the first moisturizer.

I do NOT believe there is such a thing as one product that is going to create the perfect face because there are so many elements to the face that need to be addressed in order to create visual perfection; however, if you are just looking for something to throw on in a minute and run out of the door, can you get away with wearing just a tinted moisturizer?  Why, of course…you can totally get away with it and I won’t stop you at the door.  I realize that everyone’s standard for how their skin looks varies, so for most everyday people that are not looking for flawlessness, just something that will kind of get the job done and within a short amount of time…then a tinted moisturizer is the best choice.

[How do you like to layer your face products?]

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How Many Brushes Do I Use for My Face Makeup? – Here’s a Look…

Posted in MAKE-UP, MAKE-UP BRUSHES, FACE, MAC MAKE-UP, SKINCARE, BLUSH, POWDERS, FACE PRIMER, MAKEUP BRUSHES, SKIN HIGHLIGHTING, FOUNDATION with tags , , on April 6, 2012 by stylebymeli

From left to right: MAC #224 brush, Crown Brush IB107 oval foundation brush

I was going over with a friend recently the importance of choosing the right brushes and knowing when to use them for what.  I thought it would be great to share what brushes I use for my face makeup and you will see that no single brush can do it all!  I use a total of seven brushes for just my face makeup alone!

Starting with all liquid and cream products…I use two brushes:

Skincare:  In complete honesty, I do apply my skincare products (serum, moisturizer, eye cream, and primer) with my hands.  I do advise using a basic foundation brush to apply these products but if you apply with your hands, it’s okay.  Also, for cream/liquid highlighting products, I will apply with fingertips (but then go back with a brush to blend).

Foundation: For liquid foundation, I personally like a small and thin foundation brush.  The one that I’m using is by Crown Brushes, specifically the IB107 oval foundation brush.  It doesn’t leave the foundation too streaky and just blends the product beautifully leaving a natural, flawless finish to the skin.

Concealer and small areas of the face: For concealer application such as blemishes and under eye area, I actually like to start off with my finger tips, but then I will use a MAC #224 (which is essentially an eye shadow brush, but many artists including myself like to use it as a face brush) to blend the edges seamlessly.

I want to point out that the MAC #224 is EXCELLENT for the small areas of the face:  under eyes, around the nose, around the lips, around the eye brows.  Basically, when I’m dealing with the perimeters of specific features of the face (nose, eyes, lips), I use the #224 because it’s small enough to get around those areas whereas the regular foundation brush is too big to cover the surface area.  The more delicate features of the face need to also be approached in a delicate manner, hence why I switch to a MAC #224 when I’m applying foundation to those areas.

When I do my clients’ face makeup, I also ALWAYS use a regular foundation brush to cover the majority of the face followed by a MAC #224 (or any fluffy small head brush) for the finishing touches.

Moving onto powder products…I use a total of five brushes:

From left to right: Crown C107 powder dome brush, MAC #138 brush, Crown BK3 chisel brush, MAC #129 brush, MAC #165 brush

Powder:  For all over the face setting powder, I always like to use a large fluffy brush.  I have been using a C107 powder dome brush from Crown Brushes.  I also have a MAC #182 kabuki which is also really nice.

Contour:  Specifically for contouring the cheekbones, I use a large powder brush with a tapered tip.  I personally LOVE the MAC #138 brush for the cheeks.  For someone with smaller and more defined cheeks, I may opt to use a brush with a smaller head (such as the MAC #129).

Bronzer:  I also like to have a separate brush for bronzer.  I add bronzer mainly along the hairline.  I’m using a medium sized dome shaped brush.  Specifically, I’m using the BK3 chisel brush from Crown Brushes.  Their brushes are great value and great quality.

Blush:  I typically like bigger brushes for blush because it gives a much softer application, but currently I have been using the MAC #129 brush which is their standard blush brush.

Highlight:  For cheek highlighting with a powder product, I LOVE the MAC #165 brush.  Unfortunately, this brush is discontinued which is sad because I only own one and do not have one in my professional brush kit.  I’m sure there are many duplicates available, but basically it’s a smaller version of the MAC #168 (which I just shared I used as my contour brush).  It’s a small headed brush that tapers on the end.

As you can see, I use a different brush for every powder product. I personally just like to have a separate brush per makeup application step. If you have a powder brush you are using as a blush and bronzer brush, this is okay. For an all over powder brush, I do suggest this brush be used for this step only.

[Do you have any brushes that you like to use that I did not share here?  If so, please share!]

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