Bold lip
Salome is already SO NATURALLY gorgeous! Like….whoa—–right?
So here’s what I used on her skin (If I remember correctly she seemed to have just pretty normal skin, not dry, not oily.)
–Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer
–Cream contour in Walnut, Blush in Pink Grapefruit, (you can make custom palettes, kind of cool.)
–Illuminator Laura Mercier Peach Mosaic (the two lighter colors)
–Brows Lancome Brun Brow Gel
-Eyeshadow on top is MAC Malt and on lower lashline it’s Makeupgeek Desert Sands(this shadow is kind of dusty but I love the color.)
-Purple eyeliner is MAC Designer Purple
-Lashes are Boudior HOL
-Lip color is e.l.f. Velvet Matte Lipstick in Vampy Violet (this is $3!!!) It went on reasonably smooth, but I had to layer it a bit to get a consistent color. It’s a great bargain lipstick. I also really love Bite Black Truffle (this color is daaark, so slightly lighter shades would be Jam or Liquorice.)
Photos by Whitney Kofford
Foundation for Combination Oily Skin
My biggest issue with foundation that can endure oily skin is that most of them look like So. Much. Makeup. In all of my product trial and error I would find foundations that would stay looking more matte, but then I looked like a floating head of foundation. Not my fave.
I am still on the hunt for the perfect foundation, but til then, this ones pretty good
Double Wear Light
-medium coverage
-Best for t-zone oily, or oily OR if you want a long-ish wear
-What I like about it—it dries and sets
-After several hours I get a little bit “radiant” but it’s tolerable. Not super flat matte, but not greaseball.
Things to note:
-Limited color options so I often have to mix them to get a match (I’m a 3 mixed with a 3.5 sometimes 4)
-I have to wash my foundation brush more often because the foundation stiffens in it.
-For the first few hrs I feel a tiny bit makeup-ey. Not over the top, but like I’m wearing foundation. After about 3-4 hrs it looks more natural. Gets slightly shiny after 5-6 hrs.
-Also let’s not forget about blotting sheets (why do I go through phases of remembering these handy things exist!?)
Since it dries and sets, apply it in sections on your face, like the lower right side, then the lower left side, then the upper right, then upper left.
What are your favorite foundations?
IIID Foundation Help
Hey guys, anyone remember this post? I thought I’d bring it back to life.
I often teach makeup lessons and classes and I always emphasize this one very important thing: Your skin is really important, it takes up the majority of your face. It needs to look good.
There’s a product called IIID foundation and I stole this description right off maskcaracosmetics.com: IIID Foundation is a two color foundation system that gives you skin smoothing coverage, a perfect sculpt and movie star lighting all in one speedy system!
If you haven’t seen this video, go watch. She show’s you exactly how to use it.
This product is ideal if you:
-Want to highlight and contour and need it to be fast
Real fast, I thought I’d tell you a few things about me and where I’m coming from with my little opinions 😎 (you gotta consider your source, right?)
Hi I’m Vivian 🙂 I did my first paid makeup and hair job at age 14, my first bride at 16, and I moved by myself to LA when I was 17 to go to makeup design school (yes everyone I knew freaked out, understandably.) That was 10 years ago. I’ve done makeup for celebrities, movies, music videos, advertisements, blah blah etc. etc. but MOST IMPORTANTLY on thousands of everyday people, just like me. (a more detailed and less-braggy-sounding version of my story is right here.) I’m an observant perfectionist (working on easing up on that a bit!) and I’m the friend who will lovingly tell you when you have spinach in your teeth.
And this is me, two times.
The makeup on the left took me 50 minutes to do. Five Zero. Granted I was getting ready to be on tv, but still, that’s a lot of time. The makeup on the right (using IIID) took me 20 minutes (details here.)
Anything revolutionary is bound to need some troubleshooting. Especially since we’ve all been living in the drab world of opaque flat color foundation. It’s like when you get a new phone. At first you have to think a little more about what you’re doing as you navigate it, then all of a sudden something clicks and it becomes second nature. Same with highlighting and contouring.
This is my FAQ, to add to the already rather thorough one you can find at the bottom of this page.
To streamline, I’m going to go through some typical questions/statements I get when showing someone how to use this foundation:
The dark foundation seems really dark and the light seems really light! Yep, and when they are blended nicely on your pretty little face it equals = your color.
Sometimes when I blend, I kind of blend it away. Use less pressure when you are blending or you can always add a bit more product after the first round of blending for added coverage. It’s the blend-ability and creaminess of this product that makes it both fast and easy to use. Foundations that dry and “don’t budge” require a lot more precision and take longer to apply, which is why IIID is ideal for fast everyday use.
What is the finish of this foundation? I would call it semi-radiant. Just like healthy skin is.
If I touch and rub my face a bunch will it come off? Probably a little but should we be putting things on our face that don’t come off? My guess is probably not. Solution— don’t rub your face a bunch. If you have to blow your nose or something it takes like 4.5 seconds to touch up this foundation.
After a few hours I always get shiny, will that happen with this makeup? If your skin produces oil throughout the day this product will not stop it from doing so. NBD just powder if you get too shiny!
So do I use the same brush to apply the blush that I use for foundation? Yes! You definitely can, just wipe off the excess when switching products. Or you can designate this brush here specifically for blush.
So does this replace concealer? It can! And if you feel like you need more coverage in certain area’s on your face apply the IIID first, then conceal where you need it. That way you’re not piling on makeup where you don’t need the coverage.
And that’s that.
I originally planned on doing separate before and after posts for both of those photos (Took the photo on the left, washed my face, took a makeup-less photo, then did the makeup on the right) but when I got the photos I had to post both makeup looks side by side to show the….lack of difference. Well, other then my nose probably looks better in the one on the right. And a demo of the ongoing forever question I have “To line the inner rim with dark or light. Dark…..or light…..”Photos by Keala Jarvis
Thanks so much for reading you guys xoxoxo
Victoria Secret Makeup Look
I spent the past week in Cabo celebrating my 5 year anniversary with my husband Jeff. It was my first time out of the country for something other than work, and it was awesome. We paid for the entire trip with points, but it still felt like such a lavish venture. Jeff loves traveling, and I love traveling when I’m with him, so it works out nicely.
I tried to ignore them. The people that were everywhere; covering the beaches and the sidewalks and restaurants, who were incessantly trying to sell us things or get us to go into their restaurant or take a water taxi. I see both sides. I understand that they are working hard to make money and since their town is often taken over by tourists, they may as well try to maximize the opportunity rather than be annoyed by all the visitors. But the inability for me to take in my surroundings, or remember what I was talking about in my conversation to my husband because they would loudly interrupt and keep pushing even after we politely declined, tainted certain parts of the trip for me.
I bring this up because I don’t want the people who read my posts on here or instagram to feel like they are being bombarded with someone trying to sell them something every second. I get asked all the time for details on the makeup looks that I do and I value that you take the time to read what I have to say so I want it to be helpful. But never want it to feel pushy.
Thanks for letting me get that off my chest 🙂 Isn’t Lacee beautiful? 
Face: La Mer Foundation, Cle de Peau Concealer in Almond, Laura Mercier Translucent powder, Cover fx Custom Enhancer Drops in Celestial, Chanel Rose Bronze blush, Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing Powder 3
Eyes Marc Beauty Twinkle Pop Stick Eyeshadow Three Shakes, Lid is Candlelight by Sense Cosmetics (can also use MAC paint pot in Painterly) Lashes are HOL Siren, Sephora Fine line 24 hr eyeliner, and her brows are tattooed but I added some detail to them using ABH Brow wiz in Soft Brown.
Lips: NYX Nude Beige liner, and I used Rimmel London lipstick Kate Nude collection #41 but I can’t seem to find it anywhere online so it looks a lot like Tom Ford Pink Dusk.
