Your Basic Poof-Hair Tutorial

   This post will be a short and easy how to: create a basic "poof". From the bangs pouf to the half head poof, it only takes a few steps and a few simple (read: affordable) tools to get these great hairstyles.

Snooki Poof

 What you will need:
-Teasing comb (you can use a bristle brush or even a regular comb)
-Hair Spray
-a few bobby pins (depending on how thick your hair is and if you're doing a half poof, you might need more)
-a dry head of hair
-shine serum (optional)


First you will need to decide if you are going to do a bangs poof or a half head poof. If your bangs are at least 4" you can achieve the bangs poof.

Step 1: Grab your hair that you will be "poofing" and hold it straight above your head. Spray a little bit of hair spray on the back side close to the roots. Let this dry for a second or two.

Step 2: Firmly hold the hair up and take your brush or comb and gently brush towards the scalp while continuing to hold the hair firmly in the other hand. It takes practice but you'll get the hang of it! This action, also known as "teasing" should be repeated to create a voluminous tangle of hair. Don't worry, it shouldn't be too tangled.

Step 3: Spray back root area again with a spritz of hair spray to hold teasing in place. Once you've did this comb the front side of the hair you just teased lightly to tame the hair and give it a more clean appearance.

Step 4: Depending on how much hair you are deciding on pining back, you may need more than just two bobby pins. If you're poofing your bangs, you should only need two bobby pins. Grab your bangs and twist the hair once and push it towards the front allowing you to create a bump aka a "poof".

Step 5: Bobby pin this down to your head by placing the first bobby pin in and then coming from the opposite direction/ side of the first bobby pin, create an "X" with the pins to securely hold it in place.

Step 6: Once you're happy with the poof you've created, spray with hair spray and you're complete!

Step 7: (optional) For that extra shine and frizz control, you can add a tiny tiny amount of a shine serum (I like Biosilk's Silk Therapy or Got2B's Smooth Operator's Satin Drops).

My Full Foundation Routine/Minimal Work Makeup Tutorial

        While getting ready for work today, I decided it would be a good idea to do a full foundation blog tutorial  for my blog, because everyone does their foundation differently and I've gotten a few compliments on my face makeup so why not do one?

         First, the night before I hydrate and lock in the moisture after cleansing my face.  I use Garnier Nutritioniste Moisture Rescue Lightweight UV-Lotion. It has SPF 15 in it and I find that it doesn't leave my face too greasy and moisturizes best. After applying the moisturizer, I apply  Vaseline Original Petroleum Jelly to the driest spots on my face. Not too much but enough to lock in the moisture. I only use Vaseline in the fall/winter months because I get patchy dry spots from the dry heat.

     The foundation I use is MAC's Studio Fix Fluid in NW 22. To apply this foundation I use my MAC 187 brush to give an airbrushed look. I swirl and buff the makeup onto my skin to evenly blend it out making sure not to forget to blend it down to my neckline.

      This foundation is medium coverage so it evens out my skin tone and red spots. I did half of my face to show you kinda how uneven the right side is where there is no foundation and the left side has a coat of foundation.

    Next, since I need to set my foundation with a loose powder. I use MAC's Select Sheer/Loose Powder in NC5 and a E.L.F Studio Powder Brush to apply it. I put on an even layer on my face especially in my more oilier areas.

    After powder comes bronzer! Bronzer is optional, but for me its a dual product. I use my bronzer to not only give me a glowing tanish look, but also as a contour as well! I use MAC's Get-Away Bronze powder blush it's a frost bronzey color. It's limited edition from this past summers To The Beach Collection. Another option I like is NYC's Smoothing Skin Bronzing Face Powder in Sunny. It's a matte bronzer and is pretty amazing/affordable. The brush I use to apply my bronzer is just an Angled Fluffy Brush. I got mine at Meijer.

When you apply bronzer and want to apply it as a contour, suck in your cheeks like a fish and you'll see the area right below your cheek bone. Apply it starting from right in front of your ear moving the brush down in a diagonal line towards your lips. This will make your face appear thinner. Apply bronzer sparingly around the rest of your face to give you a glowing look.  (I will do a full entry later on how to contour your face)

   Now when I have to work and I don't want to wear a lot of makeup, I avoid applying eyeshadows and just stick to eyeliner and mascara. I apply eyeliner to my waterline and curl my eyelashes. After, I apply 2 coats of mascara. I like Maybelline's Eye Studio Gel eyeliner in blackest black and for mascara I love Covergirls Lash Blast Fusion in Black. This mascara doesn't clump and gives me full eyelashes without the false eyelashes. I love it and it works for me but everyones eyelashes are different, just like everyone's hair on their head are different!

Finished Product!

Any questions, comments and concerns, leave a comment below!
Have an amazing day. I'm off to work!

My MAC Eyeshadow Palette Journey Part One

       Earlier this year I kick started my MAC addiction by purchasing an empty pro palette so when I get new eye shadows, I can depot them, and put them in this palette, making them more accessible and convenient. If you're serious about your makeup addiction, especially with MAC, I highly suggest you invest $16 in an empty MAC palette (or other brand palette such as the Z-Palette or UNII Palette) to better organize your expensive collection.                 
 


 
       My goal with the whole depoting/palette deal was to get 2 full MAC 15 spot palettes, one with just neutrals and the other with just colors. So far, I have collected 9 neutrals and 6 colorful eyeshadows all from a variety of venues. I've purchased shadows from past collections at the CCO (Cosmetic Company Outlet) which my CCO is located in an Off the 5th-Saks 5th Avenue store in Great Lakes Crossing Mall, in Michigan. I've also purchased just a pan from online (along with the empty palettes). The rest of the colors I've just purchased at a MAC counter in my local Macy's or Nordstrom's. :]

My MAC Eye Shadow Colors with name, type of eyeshadow, and collection

I took the other colors out so when my 2nd palette comes in the mail, I could organize them. This one I tried removing it too many times..and it didn't take so well. So now it's staying there.

    The eye shadows with red asterisks were purchased at the CCO.  The blue asterisk was the eye shadow purchased online in pan form. The rest of the eye shadows were purchased at the MAC counter in my local Macy's or Nordstrom's. I don't purchase all eye shadows at once. I started a little over a year ago, buying one or two eye shadows here and there eventually making it to where I stand now with 15 eye shadows amongst other MAC products I've purchased.

      Oh and once you depot the eye shadows, do NOT throw away the plastic case they come in! You can return them without the pan to any MAC counter for the Back 2 MAC program and with 6 containers (you can return other empty plastic containers like brush cleanser bottles, lip stick bullets, lip glass containers, etc.) and get a FREE full size lipstick of your choice. It's so simple! You're recycling and getting a  free product in return!