Post #16 Morphe

Morphe is a makeup brand that has been around for sometime but has gained their following and popularity within the past 4 years. They are known for their eyeshadow palettes and makeup brushes. Their eyeshadow palettes come in a multitude of shades. You get about 35 different shades within one palette. there are over 10 different options for which shades you can choose from. this includes palettes that are are cool toned, to a palette that has all warm tones, to a palette that has bright, vibrant colors, to a palette that has all shimmers and glitters. My favorite pro palette from Morphe is the 35O palette. Its is a natural palette with cool toned browns and warm oranges. It also has a mixture of mattes and shimmers. It is my "go-to" palette. I also adore their brushes. They have many different selections to choose from, and they often have sales and discounts on their brushes. This is a brand that I think not many people know about, and I think that everyone should! The only bad part about them is that you can only purchase products from them from their online store https://www.morphebrushes.com/ , or from their store in Burbank, CA. 

350 Palette
Image credit: Morphebrushes.com

Image credit: pinterest

image credit: pinterest

Post #15 Contouring & Highlighting

Contouring and highlighting is a makeup sensation that has taken over the past 2 years. The purpose of contouring and highlighting is to slender the face, and to enhance the facial features. Contouring is done with a shade that is 2-3 times darker than your skin tone. This adds definition and depth to your face. Highlighting is done with a lighter shade that is 2-3 lighter than your skin tone. Highlight and contouring can be done using a powder or a cream, or even both combined. The Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit has gotten makeup fame. ABH has to contour kits, A powder and a cream. Contouring is placed on the outer portions of the forehead, as well as the cheek bones, under the lip, and under the jaw bone. The highlight color is placed on the middle of the forehead, under the eyes, and under the cheek bones. It can also be placed on the chin. This is just a general description of where the shades are usually placed. This will change according to your face shape. Nose contouring is also very popular. You use the contour shade on the outer part of the nose, and the highlight on the inside of the contour color along the bridge of the nose. This makes the appearance of a smaller or shorter nose. These shades are blended so that the transition is seamless and so you do not have any lines anywhere left on the face. I do not contour and highlight everyday, but I do like to sometimes because I like for my cheek bones to be more prominent, and contouring gives them that appearance. Highlighting and contouring definitely isn't an everyday thing, but it is good when you are going for that full face, beat look. 

Image Credit: Pinerest

Image Credit: Pinterest

image credit: Pinterest

Post #14 Lashes

Lashes are one of my favorite parts of my makeup. It can change a simple makeup look to a dramatic makeup look. Lashes really help complete the look and bring the look together. When choosing lashes there are several different options that you can choose from. There are strip lashes. Strip lashes are eyelashes that are lined and made into a strip that look like an eyelash. There several different options when choosing strip lashes. You can choose different lashes based on the shape and length and density of the lashes. You can also choose the material that the lashes are made out of. Options for this are artificial lash hairs that are synthetic which usually are cheaper in price to lashes that are made of sable, mink, and human hair. Strip lashes can range anywhere from $1-$50 depending on the quality and brand. Most strip eyelashes are reusable for up to 5-10 times or even longer depending on how well they are taken care of. Strips lashes are pretty quick and simple to apply. They usually take around 5 minutes to apply. Strip lashes are applied with strip eyelash glue. My favorite eyelash glue is the DUO eyelash glue in transparent. It is a temporary glue and comes off easily at the end of the day by pulling them off or with water. Single lashes are also an option. Single lashes are very similar to strip lashes, they are just not in a strip and are individually put on a tiny strip that is the size of the lash. Individual lashes take a little longer to apply than strip lashes do because you are applying each lash individually. This can take anywhere from 10-30 minutes depending on how full you wish for your lashes to be. The duo lash glue can be used as a temporary option for them. Usually individual lashes come with a special adhesive so that they will last longer. It also comes with a special remover to remove the lashes. These can last up to 2 weeks with proper care. The third option is eyelash extensions. This is process is performed by a esthetician that is licensed to do lash extensions. Individual lashes are attached to your lashes with an adhesive. This process can take up to 2+ hours to complete. You also have different options for the extensions such as the length of the lashes, and how full you want them to be. Also how you want them to shape your eye. the longer and fuller the lash, the more dramatic it will look. These can last up to 6 weeks with proper care. It is advised that after you get the extensions, you do not get them wet for at least 48 hours. This gives the adhesive time to fully dry so that you will not loose any lashes. You can also get a lash fill every 2-4 weeks. Over time, the lashes will fall off due to the wearing off of the adhesive. Lash Extensions are more of a semi-permanent options for your lashes. I have tried all of these options and my favorite is definitely the lash extensions. They look real and flawless. And you can look done-up with out having any makeup on. The downside to lash extensions are the application time and the upkeep. They are also pretty expensive. My lash extensions cost around $180+ and $25-$75 for fills and depending on where you are located and where you get them done, the price can even double. Here are some pictures below of my lash extensions. 

Individual Lashes
Image Credit: Makeupalley.com

Strip Lash
Image Credit: @PerfectlashesLA on instagram

My Lash Extensions

Post #13 Brushes & Sponges

Brush V.S. sponge has been huge debate over time. I'm going to tell you my preference on what I think of both. Lets start with brushes. First of all, there are many different types of brushes. There are brushes for contouring, powder, highlight, liner, brows, blush, foundation, concealer, eyeshadow. The list could go on forever. There is literally a brush for every aspect of your makeup. I like using brushes for majority of my makeup. This includes my eyebrows, blush, eyeshadow, highlight, and face powder. Now lets talk about sponges. There are also many different types of sponges. There are wedged sponges, circle sponges, and sponges shaped like eggs. The sponge that I personally like to use is a beauty blender. Its appearance is similar to an egg. Before I got introduced to using a beauty blender for my makeup, I used brushes. I feel though my beauty blender blends my makeup better than any brush ever has. I would always get brush streaks on my face after blending, and I never seemed to get the coverage I wanted. I was able to achieve this with a beauty blender. It also helps blend my concealer better because of the point on it. The texture of the sponge actually simulates the appearance of the skin, so this is why it appears to look more natural when foundation is blended because of this. You can use the beauty blender dry or wet. When it is wet, it expands to almost twice its size when it's dry. I prefer to use my beauty blender when wet because to me it blends better. You also knock out a handful of brushes by using this single sponge. Now I still do use brushes, and I still like them despite my love for my beauty blender. I use my brushes for things my beauty blender cannot achieve such as eyeshadow and sweeping away powder. Some of my favorite brushes are the Real Technique brushes. They have an array of brushes to choose from and they are under $10. They are great quality and affordable. I also like the brushes from Morphe Cosmetics. They are also pretty reasonable in price and have several different selections in collections of brushes they carry. They also sell complete professional brush kits. Real Techniques also sells a sponge that is similar to a beauty blender. It is very similar in size, the only difference is that the RT sponge has a slanted point on the bottom of the sponge, unlike the beauty blender that is rounded. It is also slightly stiffer than the BB. The RT sponge retails at around $4-$6 while the Beauty Blender retails at about $20. I like both brushes and sponges. However, when it comes to foundation and concealer, a Beauty Blender is a MUST for me. You can find Real Techniques at any Walmart, Walgreens, or CVS. You can find the Beauty Blender at Ulta, Sephora, or Beauty Brands. You can only get Morphe brushes online from their online website. 

Beauty Blender
Image Credit: HSN.com

Real Techniques Sponge
Image credit: Makeupalley

Real Techniques Brushes
Image Credit: Sweetlifewithlove.com

Morphe Brushes
Image credit: Xueqiii.com