The More You Glow: A Multi-Tasking Mom's Guide to Looking Hot

Preface: If you don't wear makeup, don't want to wear makeup, and you feel 110% doing that- then you go, lady! Every woman is beautiful just as she is, but for those of us who want to enhance that natural beauty- keep reading! :)

Most women want to improve their makeup KNOWLEDGE and ROUTINE. Unfortunately, morale and wherewithal can take a nose dive off of a 60 foot cliff after another drugstore liquid liner lets us down. As women, we want to feel and look naturally beautiful. It can be FRUSTRATING when the result of our hard work leaves us feeling like we'll never get it right. At some point in our lives, we have all looked in the mirror an hour after applying our makeup, wondering what dark hole our liquid foundation crawled into. If any of this resonates with you- you are not alone, my friend! Makeup, like any other thing worthy of admiration, takes time, effort, and knowledge. 

Girl, TRUST me when I say I used to have BAD makeup. I have been there. I have a picture or two documenting the sultry cat eye I so desperately sought after...except, somehow, I ended up portraying more of a drug induced Cleopatra. But hey, I kept trying. My brothers told me I looked awful (and they were right), but I kept trying. 

It took me years to feel proud of the look I can create now, with lots of cakey concealer and eyeshadow crinkles along the way. This series of posts is all about passing down my makeup know how--helping you to create a polished, flawless, natural looking face. 

If you're looking for a quick stop for upping your makeup knowledge game, strap on your helmet because the information moped is punching down it's throttle! 

So, let's start with the BASICS!

If you want quality, in most regards, you have to pay for quality. There are some things (I'll get to that on another post) that you can skimp on and buy at a drugstore, living happy as a clam ever after. However, if the flawless faces of red carpet celebs is what you've been wishing for, you've got to go for high end products. 

Sephora is the jam to my toast, and everything I list for you can be found there. Just like building up your wardrobe, you wouldn't buy everything you need all at once. There are definitely staples to buy, but your credit score (and significant other) will thank you if you pace yourself.

My super quick guidelines for Sephora purchases: read descriptions to see if that product will help produce the look your going for, read user ratings to see if any red flags come up, and do NOT buy a product with less than 4 star reviews without trying it out in the store first. 
It's your money, spend it on a sure thing!

The FACE is your BASE.

Not the eyes or the lips, but the FACE! You cannot skip the FACE if you want to look foxy fabulous with a smokey eye and red lips. Why? Because your face will be incomplete. The FACE is the whole canvas. I could draw some gorgeous eyes and a beautiful mouth on a white canvas, but it would be lacking depth and richness.
So, that's where we're gonna start. I'm gonna lay out the product basics here, as well as give you a step by step look at my face for each product.
As it turns out, my period gifted me with a raging pimple on my face just so you could see how this whole wild scheme will turn out.

PRIMER:

(Only moisturizer here, zero makeup, and my angry period pimple.)

Primer is a base that you put down under your foundation. Primers can have different functions such as, reducing the look of wrinkles, redness, and pores. Application goes on smoother, and they also can add a glowy look to your skin. I don't use primer everyday, but I do use one if it's a date night or special occasion. I have my eye on a new one, so maybe I'll be posting about that soon! 

Quality moisturizer can really be a decent substitute for a primer. The more hydrated your skin is, the better your makeup will look. I went with the simple moisturizing route today.

CONCEALER:

(Where did that pesky pimple go?? It's almost undetectable!)

Concealer is my holy grail product. You give a woman good concealer, you give her the keys to a flawless face. I don't mess around with concealing the red/pink areas of my face, or the occasional pimple, or just the areas of my face that aren't one beautiful uniform color. I use a full coverage concealer by Makeup For Ever, and it is THE ONE THING I always have on my face (unless I'm trying to get some sun). It's waterproof, and basically bulletproof in my book. If you get redness around your nose/mouth area, age spots, or even light scars- this concealer will change your game, honey! Three hours later you'll look in the mirror and wonder how you got so sexy. 

POWDER FOUNDATION:
(Okay, now really... where did that thing go??)

For my daily routine, I'm happy simply using concealer and then setting it into place with powder foundation. I always, always, always use powder foundation to set my liquid foundation and/or concealer. It is uber important to get a high quality powder foundation. 1) It stays on your face. 2) It lowers your chances of breaking out vs. drugstore versions that tend to clog pores. 3) It will keep the shine down. I currently use Laura Mercier powder, but I've used NARS loose powder and enjoyed that as well. Like I've said, look it up at Sephora, read descriptions, read ratings, and don't settle for a rating under 4 stars. 

BRONZER/HIGHLIGHTER:

(I have to admit that I filled in my eyebrows here, but I had to. Forgive me, or else!)

If you apply all of the above makeup to your face, you will still wonder where you went wrong. Why?
Because all of that gorgeous uniform color, doing its job, takes away the dimension of your face. By adding bronzer and highlight, you bring back that dimension and enhance your natural features.
I go for more of natural glow, so I don't feel it's necessary to produce those harder bronzer contours. 

For the past few months, I've been using the Makeup For Ever Pro Sculpting Duo, (used above) which is a bronzer and highlighter pallet. I like that because it's a two in one and adds a dewy look to my skin. I've been occasionally enjoying the Too Faced Soliel Matte Bronzer, as well.

BLUSH:

(I added mascara and a neutral lip to complete my look...so sue me! Okay, don't.)

Truly, I cannot omit blush from my routine. If I use bronzer and highlighter, I have a deep, deep compulsion to add blush. I feel like the bronzer and highlight feel dull without adding some pop of color. 
Blush does a fantastic job of making your face look vivid and glowing. My favorite blush right now is Tarte 12-hour Amazonian Clay Blush. I can't guarantee that it will stay perfectly for 12 hours, but when my face is looking less fab a few hours later, I add a few poofs and it returns to it's former glory. (No filter needed, people!)

*LIQUID FOUNDATION:

I'm gonna be honest, liquid foundation has not been an active member of my squad for a few years. I don't need it (because my concealer is the bomb.com), but I've been using Makeup Forever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Liquid Foundation for the past week and have been loving it. It gives me a little extra coverage and smoothness to my face.
Liquid + powder vs. strictly powder foundation really comes down to personal preference. 

BEFORE & AFTER

(because my husband insisted that everybody loves a good B&A)

Next time, I'll go elbow deep in explaining the APPLICATION of these products and how simple this whole crazy makeup thing can be!