Little Red Hot Lips. Everyone can find their perfect shade!!!!

Hello again makeup junkies!!!

Let's talk about something that could be a little provocative in the makeup world. RED LIPS. AHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How do I find my perfect shade? Well I'm pale so I can't wear red lips. My lips are big so I'm not a good candidate. WRONG! Every Sue Lynn and Sally can wear red lips! Let me teach you how.

When choosing your lipstick, consider your skins undertone. You either have a warm ( yellow, olive, golden) or cool ( fair, pink, rosy,). 

If your skin tone is warm, stick to colors with similar qualities. Find a rich coral or a shear red with a golden undertone.

If your skin tone is cool, stick to colors with a blue undertone. It really is that easy. It doesn't have to be complicated.

If you have a very dark complexion, I would definitely stay away from bright red colors.. This also goes for red heads. If you wear red lips then I would either match the color to your hair with a shear stain or go with a deep red or burgundy lipstick.

This doesn't work for me:

This works :

*Some tricks to consider when applying a red lip:

EXFOLIATE- I can't tell you how unattractive it is when someone puts red lipstick over dry, peeling lips. Take two minutes out of your time and use a lip scrub at least three times a week.

If your using a lip stain, don't use a lip liner. It will overpower the stain and the consistencies will be different. Remember, lip stains aren't supposed to be bold. They are a subtle shear layer of color on the lip.

Use some lip conditioner or " chap stick " on your lips before applying lipstick for a more conditioned and moist look. The lipstick definitely won't last as long, though.

Use an extremely shear layer of concealer or foundation over your lips before applying your perfect lipstick. Wait for it to dry and blot just in case. This will ensure that your lipstick will last for at least a few hours.

Another way to make your lipstick last is to apply a lip liner all over your lips first. Then apply your lipstick with a brush and then BLOT.

Please remember that red lips require maintenance. Put a little mirror in your purse and check up every hour or so. Sometimes you wont need to touch up but most of the time all you will need is to swipe the lipstick on your bottom lip only and rub your lips together.
OR
Carry a colorless (clear) gloss with you. It will activate the red lipstick on your lips and you can just put a little gloss on and smudge it around your lips. This way you don't have to add any color.

You can wear lip liner by itself to ensure the longest lasting red lip. Use this method if you want a more dry, bold look. It does help to put on chapstick first.

Use a lip brush!!!! It'll help when applying on the little points and crevices of your lips.

Last and final tip: Use a concealer that is the shade of your skin tone that has a wand or use a concealer stick. Apply a small amount around your lips for precision! Take away any color that bled outside your lip line. Blend outwards.

Here are some products I recommend:

Cover girl outlast lip stain
$7.99 at any drugstore

Estee' Lauder Hydra Lustre Lipstick Rich Red
$21.00
Beautiful gold casing!

MAC red
Great Coral red for warm skin tones
$14.50 @ department stores

Philosophy Lip Scrub
$15.00 @ department stores that carries Philosophy or Sephora

This is an eyeshadow base but it works AMAZING as a lip primer and around the lips after your lipstick application.
$20.00 @ department stores where Smashbox is sold or Sephora

I know this must be a whole lot to take in but if you consider these options and tips, finding a red lipstick and applying it wont be as complicated and difficult.

Make me proud and give red lips a try!!!!

XOXOXO,

V

Lips in the NUDE

 How to find your perfect shade of nude.

Salutations makeup junkies!!!!!!!!!!!

We've all been there. Trying to find a perfect nude is extremely difficult. Especially when you know exactly what nude look you want and can't achieve it. I am going to break it down for you guys as best as I know possible.

Firstly, there are multiple nude looks and colors! Nude colors can be in brown and light pink/coral shades. It doesn't have to be colorless. In fact, most of us don't look that great in just a straight beige colorless shade. Especially olive skin tones.

Try to play around with these ideas and find what works best for you.

It'll be MUCH easier to find your perfect shade of nude when you have your eye makeup done. Smokey eyes would be best.

* hint * - Wearing no makeup works best when finding your perfect shade of lipstick.

Our lips are pink and sometimes mauve. If you are set in wanting a dramatic colorless nude lip try this:
( yes nude lips can look dramatic )

• Dab and smooth concealer or foundation lightly over your lips to neutralize most of the color. It will act as almost a lipstick.
• You'll only need to throw some clear or lightly pigmented color gloss on afterward. If you have too many layers your lips will look uneven and awkward.

For a more natural, nude lip:

• Find a shade of shear lipstick that is one to two shades lighter than your lips. ( If your wallet doesn't allow department store lipstick and you find yourself at a walgreens or target, hold up the package with the color on it to your lips. The shade on the box is extremely accurate to the actual product.)
• Follow with a shear, light lipgloss that has a peach, pink, or tan undertone in it. ( the darker your skin the more you want to lean toward a shear, dark pink/tan/brown/mocha color.)
• For an even more natural nude lip just use gloss by itself. Remember, nude just means natural, little to no color. If your lips are already light just apply gloss and your ready to go.

Some products that I recommend for lighter complexions



Cover Girl: Kiss
$6.99 at any Drugstore



MAC: Creme d' Nude
$14.50 at any department store or professional MAC store

Estee' Lauder Pure color lipgloss: Nude Rose
$20.00 at any department store



MAC Cremesheen Glass: Fashion Scoop
( my absolute favorite)
$18.50 at any department store



Products I recommend for darker complexions:

Urban Decay Gloss: Hustle
$17.00 at Sephora or Ulta



Bobby Brown Lipgloss trio in shades: Kir Sugar, Gold Glitter, Bright Pink $40.00 at any Bobby Brown counter.
* use the gold alone or mix it with one of the two other colors to lighten them up for a perfect nude*

So with that being said, go experiment and have some fun trying to find your perfect shade of nude.

XOXO,

V

Favorite Faces at the 2011 Grammy's!

Wow... everyone looked absolutely beautiful! I wish it could have been me that made up all those famous faces! One day it will happen. Sooner than later!!

In the meantime, let's discuss how to's and my favorite makeup looks of the evening.
Christina Aguilera-

Christina always seems to have this "porcelain" look about her. Given that she has bleached blonde hair and gorgeous blue eyes, I think that's a good makeup choice.

She went with a shade of bold, cherry red on her lips and little color on the eye concentrating on eyelashes and eyeliner for drama.

I would use a dense set of lashes for the top of the eye all the way across the eyelid.
After you glue, blend your lashes into the strips using a high volume mascara. This gives a more dramatic eyelash appearence.

 The bottom lashes look almost spidery but in her case it works. I would use individual tab on lashes sparsely on the bottom of the eyelashes. They usually come in short, medium and long and I would definitely use short in this case.
Blending your lashes into the tab on lashes using mascara is also very important. You should also hide the tabs by using a black eyeliner subtely underneath your lash line. A mascara with spike bristles will work best on the bottom and top lashes.

I would recommend these products to achieve her look:

Tab on lashes



Lash strips

You can find both of these at a drug store if you don't want to spend a lot of money. Lashes can get expensive... Trust me I know.

Also LASH DUO adhesive is the absolute best glue for fake lashes.

Mascara:

Cover Girl lash blast fusion

By far the best mascara I have ever used that is under $10.00. You only have to pump it once for each eye and the tube will stay juicy for at least a month. The bristles are spikey and grab onto your lashes for full extension and volume!

Max Factor's Lash Extension Mascara- Great for your eyelashes but especially for bottom lashes. The wand is thin and spikey allowing for placement right on your lower lashline and control. I've stabbed myself in my eyeball a few times using a wand that is too thick! This one works great!

Lipstick:

MAC is definitely a makeup line that is great quality and is affordable. Their new line Venomous Villains has a shade called "Heartless" that is a fantastic cherry red.



Katy Perry-

Katy literally Dazzled us with her presence at the Grammy's this year. She sparkled like an angel from a mile away. I absolutely love the purple and green hues used here. These are both great colors for dark hair and light eyes if used correctly. In this case, they were. Glitter on the eyelids is very difficult to maintain throughout the night. It tends to crease and touch ups may be necessary! We have heat and oils on our eyelids and when that is combined with constant blinking a crease is bound to happen.

Here's a little tip: If you can see your eyelids when your eyes are open (like Katy) then using glitter on the lid will be much easier and you'll have less of a chance of creasing.

What I recommend for Katy's Look:

Double Wear cream eyeshadow by Estee' Lauder

This cream shadow is fantastic because it goes on cream and does not budge once it dries! The whole double wear line is known for its non-smudge products. Use Vintage Violet for the top of the lid and Precious Jade underneath the lash line. You can use your finger or a concealer brush to apply.

Now here's the tricky part!!!!!

You need to put loose glitter on top of the cream eyeshadow before it dries. This way the glitter has something to adhere to. Try to use a fluffy eyeshadow brush so that the glitter won't be too concentrated in one area when you transfer the glitter onto the eyelid.

Also, use very little glitter. A little goes a long way I promise. Otherwise you are going to be left with a mess!

Make Up For Ever has absolutely amazing loose glitters. You can choose pretty much any shade you want but a clear shade will probably work the best over the purple cream shadow.

Throw on some of those fake lash strips I talked about earlier followed by chapstick, a matte pink/muave lipliner and you are ready to go!

Please remember, these are just suggestions. I am using my experience and expertise to recommend products that you can use at home to achieve similar looks.

XOXOXO,

V

My name is Viktoria and I am addicted to Makeup.

For those who have met me know that my true passion lies within the beauty industry. Cosmetics, Health, Skin Care you name it, I know it. Coming from a family with a long history of success in the beauty industry has left me with experiences that have helped myself develop sort of a “sixth sense” for beauty. I wake up every morning confident that this is what I am truly meant to do.

If you don't know me and this is your first time visiting my blog, I would like to introduce myself. I am an extremely outgoing and passionate person and if I find something that interests me, I will encompass it as a whole and make it my life. That is exactly what happened to me when my mom bought me my first makeup kit from probably a Wal-Mart when I was only seven years old. I still vividly remember the skin on my hands itching to open the shiny plastic case. When I was finally allowed to, I removed the several layers of blushes, eye shadows, mini lipsticks and nail polishes from their wrappers. I didn't know exactly what was going to happen at the time but I did know that I was in love.

So here I am sixteen years later starting my first blog.

What I hope to accomplish is this:

First and foremost I want everyone in the world to know and feel my passion bursting out of the computer screen as they read what I have to write.

I want to set myself apart from the thousands and thousands of other people who are choosing the safe route of becoming a Makeup artist. Don't get me wrong please.. I am not saying there is ANYTHING wrong with that. To each his own but the difference here is I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO THIS!!!!!!!!!!! I didn't choose to go to a four year college to pursue a career that I knew wouldn't last. Yes, continued education is extremely important and I would recommend it to everyone. You just have to figure out exactly what is the best choice for you. The past 5+ years have been my furthering education and the rest of my life will be a learning process as well. I have been flourishing with different schooling's and internships based on my career. I have been lucky to meet the right people and fantastic mentors to guide my along my journey which will never end until the day I die.

How am I going to set myself apart? My knowledge and character will part me from those thousands of people. I am going to address many different topics over the next unknown period of time. These topics are going to be about makeup, skin care, favorite makeup lines, tutorial/how to's, comparing products, colors of the season, and a TON more! I want to take writing about makeup to the next level. I have so much knowledge that I want to share with you.

THIS IS WHAT I LIVE AND BREATH PEOPLE! This is my life, career, future, and a key that will unlock a door that has been closed for some time now due to competition. That door will allow me to make my stamp on the makeup world.

I'm pretty sure you get the idea- now take the journey through the makeup world with me through my eyes. I look forward to sharing my expertise with you.

V