Friday, April 24, 2015

Fresh Face




Spring is finally in the air! This week I would like to show you how to create an au natural look for spring. This look is focusing on how to make your skin stand out as healthy and flawless without looking as though you have heavy, caked on makeup. Now that we are out of winter I would recommend getting a facial. I recommend this for two reasons, one, winter tends to dry out skin and a facial is perfect for deep cleansing and exfoliating to reveal brighter, healthier skin. The second reason is that many people have different needs for their skin from season to season and especially from winter to summer. For example, the moisturizer you need to keep you hydrated in the cold months may be too heavy for your skin in the summer. This is something that your esthetician can help you figure out so you will be giving your skin just what it needs year round. Just a reminder, Fridays in spring at Spa Soak you get a free eye renewal treatment with your facial.

Now let’s get into the steps to creating this fresh look. I have dry skin so I will be using products for dry skin but I will give you alternatives for oily skin. First, I moisturize with Bioelements Crucial Moisture($34.50) but if you have oily skin I suggest Bioelements Beyond Hydration($38). I then take Benefit Fake Up concealer($24) and apply that under my eyes with a dabbing motion, I find that it stays put longer when put on first. Once my skin soaks up the moisture I take my #110 Buffing foundation brush from ‘it brushes from Ulta’($24.50) and apply Clinique Moisture Surge CC cream with SPF($37) on to it. Now comes the fun part, I begin to buff the CC cream into my skin using fast circular motions until my face looks evenly covered. If you have oily skin, a great alternative would be Clarin’s Ever Matte foundation($36). Next I do a little contouring, don’t be scared, it’s easy. Urban Decay Naked Flushed palette($32) is great for a beginner or a pro. It consists of 3 different colors. There is a bronzer, a shimmer and a blush. With any blush brush I take a little of the shimmer and apply it to the very top part of my cheek bones, essentially from my temple, halfway to my nose. I also apply the shimmer right above my brows and down the center of my nose. Then I grab some of the bronzer onto my brush and make sure to tap off the excess. I apply the bronzer under my cheekbones in a diagonal downward sweep from the center of my ear toward my mouth. I will also apply it to my left and right hairline on my forehead and under my jawline. Lastly I will put just a little of the pink on my brush and put it on just the lower parts of the apples of my cheeks. If you don’t know where the apples of your cheeks are just smile and they will pop right up! Now for the finishing touches.  With my finger I put Mac Paint Pot in Base Study($21) on my lids from my lash line to under my brows to create a highlight with the shimmer. My lashes I will trust only with Blinc Amplified in Black($26), no smudging , no fibers, no tar AND it can be layered without creating ‘spider lashes’. For a daytime look I only put mascara on my top lashes. Lastly, I put my favorite lip balm, Clinique Chubby Stick in Super Strawberry($17) onto my lips. And there you have it, a fresh au natural look for spring that, with a little practice, only takes about 7 minutes….more time for beauty sleep!