Okay, I have always been attracted to cruelty free products – products that don’t test on animals – but before moving to organic beauty products, I didn’t really adhere to the idea that I should support only cruelty free companies. Then last year, my uncle passed away from brain cancer, and my whole family made the decision that in his honor, we would all reduce or eliminate the use of parabens, polyethylenes, and all manner of toxic ingredients in things that we use on our bodies.

SO, LET ME JUST SAY – I am now a skin care enthusiest more than I am a makeup enthusiest. And if you know how much I love makeup, that is saying something.  And this is why:

• I struggled all my life with problem, oily, acne prone skin.
• I used everything from Proactiv to Accutane, and even when using those products, I wasn’t getting good results.
• I switched to organic products, and BOOM, my skin is beautiful
• I now have clear skin
• I now have “normal” skin, rather than “oily”.
• I no longer have any excess oil on my skin.
• I do not wear foundation in my daily makeup routine because I have no need for it.

I am a skin care enthusiest now because I love my skin, and I enjoy taking care of it.

So, do you want to know what kinds of products I use?  I get everything from Walmart – surprisingly enough – and never spend over $5 on a product. Everything I buy is organic, cruelty free, and WORKS!  What more could you want?

• St Ives – I’m having a love affair with them, and my husband doesn’t mind.  This is my all time favourite brand, let me tell you.  I love their products, they are cheap, they are effective, and they are quality.
• Tea tree oil face cleanser – I have used the green tea face cleanser as well, but I always come back to this one. The formula is lighter, less gel-like, and the scent (though still, I hate the scent) is more tolerable than the green tea. It keeps my skin clear,  and makes my skin feel clean, and the fresh feeling actually lasts.
• Green Tea Scrub - Unlike the Apricot scrub, which is too harsh to use on your face, this one is wonderful. I was very skeptical about trying it out on my face, fearing that it would be a repeat of the horrible breakouts that the Apricot scrub caused, but no. No, the green tea scrub is very fine, very sandy in texture, and does not irritate the skin at all. While being as gentle as it is, it still does a great job at exfoliating, and leaves a noticeably smoother texture to the skin. The Apricot scrub, I use on the rest of my body.
• Body Washes – A little goes a looooong way!! Leaves skin actually feeling clean with no soapy scummy residue.
• Body Lotion – my favourite is Intensive Relief. It smells amazing, has a thin consistency which soaks into the skin, moisturizing immediately.

• Live Clean - When I first started using Live Clean’s shampoos and conditioners, I wasn’t totally impressed. I found that they weighed down my hair, made my roots look oily, and the clean didn’t last very long. Then I found out I was using it wrong haha!
• You really only need to do a really quick scrub on the scalp – I’m talking a 10 second scrub – to benefit from the shampoo. And just that 10 second scrub really cleans the hair, and it lasts!  Even for me – an exercise freak who sweats consistently throughout the day.
• Only put the conditioner on the ends of your hair.
• Might I draw your attention to the Argan Oil Smooth and Shine Creme, which is a leave-in conditioner.  And also, the Agran Oil Treatment, which is – okay – $5?  Maybe?  And does the SAME THING is MoraccanOil, which sells for $40.

I have also tried the new Neolia body wash, and I like it.  The only beef I have with it is that you have to use a lot, otherwise you run out of lather. But I do like how it makes my skin feel.  I haven’t noticed if it’s doing anything that St Ives wouldn’t do to my skin, so I probably will not repurchase, just because it’s more expensive than St Ives, and I have to use more.  But it is not a bad product.

Okay, are you sold on the power of the organics?  Please do contact me if you have questions or want more in depth product reviews – I can also review in video form on Youtube.

• You lose 30% definition and payoff with b/w.
• Therefore you must add more definitions, contours, highlights, in order for them to show.
• Using browns, greys, whites, and blacks will give you a better idea of how the colours are actually going to look in the picture, rather than using colours.
• Colour value and greyscale comes into play.

Value & Greyscale:

• The value of a colour is defined by the depth of the colour.
• Knowing where the value of a colour is on a greyscale will be useful with b/w.
• To compare the values and the greyscales, take a picture of your palette in b/w to compare.

TIP! – When aiming for a great depth of colour, often one will put too much colour on.  The colour is only going to get as dark as it is in the pan.  If you wish for a greater depth of colour than that, it’s time to switch colours instead of layering.

So I searched and searched, and note, that I was only searching for water based cruelty free formulas. Made for a tough hunt.  But then I found, dun dun na na….

Almay Smart Shade Liquid Makeup, SPF 15

So let me tell you about this stuff:

• No need to choose an exact shade to match your skin, simply choose from light, medium, or dark.
• The foundation comes out of the tube white with little blue and brown balls in it.
• When you apply it to your skin, it instantly changes colour to blend perfectly into your shade.
• It is water based, so the coverage is light to medium. I found that one application gave a very translucent finish, but two applications was very opaque!  So it doesn’t take much to change the coverage.
• It is cruelty free as all Almay products are.
• It has SPF 15!!  Which is, from my experience on this hunt, the highest you’re ever going to find in a foundation.
• It’s in a tube!!! Which means you can squeeze it and no product is wasted.

So my overall impression of this makeup is that I really like it.  I like it as a sunscreen for my face, and I like it as a foundation. I also have to say that I like the light coverage property of it, because if I’m wearing it as just a sunscreen, I don’t want to go out say, running, looking like I have foundation on!  So it is good for that. But, if I want to wear it for the sake of wearing foundation, it is versatile enough that if you put on another application, it covers beautifully as a makeup.

Before I get to that though, there are a few points I would like to make, as I study for my written exam:

• The same rules of contour and highlight that apply to your face makeup still apply to your eye makeup.
• Colours in daytime makeup are generally used to accent features and bring out eye colour.  The means that you must use a complimentary colour to the eye colour. If your eyes are blue, don’t use blue shadows!  That will only make the whole eye area appear blue, and not actually accent anything. You want to use a pink, coral, or orange shade instead.
• Contour on daytime makeup can sometimes make your face appear just dirty. If you’re using your makeup for a work or office setting, it’s better to skip the contours and use highlight instead.

Some tips for correcting eye shape:

• Close set eyes: concentrate on the outside corners to give the illusion of length. A winged shadow and liner work well. Use highlights on the inner corner and up to the brow bone.
• Wide set eyes: bring the eyes closer together with a shadow of a natural brown on the inner corner of the lid up to the brow bone. Don’t put the brown on the bridge of the nose, instead, lighten that area with a concealer.
• Deep set eyes: use highlighting colours in the darkest area of the eye. Using frosts or shimmers can help, as the light catching properties of those shadows will help to bring the area forward. Use liner to create lift.
• Round eyes: if you want to correct this to make them more almond shape, elongate the outer corner.
• If your eye or eyelid protrudes, it’s best to darken the perimeter of the eye to set it back.

1. HYPOALLERGENIC : low risk of allergy but still some risk. It means there was a group of people tested and maybe one or two people from the group got some sort of reaction, probably very mild.  People often think this means there is NO risk of allergy, and that is just untrue. However, skin products are usually the things that people get reactions to, generally not makeup products.
2. NONCOMEDOGENIC : This does actually mean that it will not clog pores.  However, you must be careful, because if a product says “does not clog pores” or something along those lines and leaves out this word “noncomedogenic”, there is still a chance that it could clog pores.
3. FRAGRANCE FREE : there are no scents ADDED to a products.  HOWEVER, it does not mean that the product does not have any smell. There could be, for example, lavender in the ingredients, and therefore, the product will smell like lavender.  But the scent of lavender was not added, it was naturally occurring.
4. UNSCENTED : there is no scent at all. There are no ingredients that have a natural smell, and usually, a masking ingredient has been added to get rid of the smell of chemicals.
5. COSMECEUTICAL : it will improve the skin’s appearance because it has the ability to penetrate into the dermis and make changes to the skin from the cellular level. This is the only way that a product can actually change the appearance of skin, because once cells are past the dermis into the epidermis, they begin to die, and will not change. These products will usually have an expiry date which is a proper date shown in numbers.
6. ACTIVE AGENT : it is the ingredient which is working to do what the product says it will do (change the appearance of skin in some way). The product will usually say, “contains…” and you know that is the active ingredient which is making the product work.

Now go forth and shop all the wiser!

The 1920s:

• This is when makeup first started coming onto the scene.
• It was generally only worn by Flappers and actresses.
• The look was a sad, round eye, and lips with defined cupid’s bows.

The 1930s:

• Use of everyday makeup was starting to trend, however it was still rather taboo.
• The look was false lashes and drawn on beauty marks.
• The eyebrows were worn very thin.

The 1940s:

• Because of the war, glamour and looking your best was played up.
• The look was big lips and top eyeliner.
• The eyebrows were a more natural shape and thickness.

The 1950s:

• The emphasis was on looking soft and feminine, mostly to attract men.
• Mascaras, eyeshadows, and eyeliners were being introduced at every angle, giving consumers more range of colours.
• Pancake makeup was invented (a very heavy coverage oil based foundation – think of pancake batter)

The 1960s:

• The emphasis was still on looking soft and feminine, but pinks were the more definitive style.  Aside from the Hippies, who of course, wore no makeup.
• Blue eyeshadow was the way to go, along with the elongated cat eye which is popular today.
• Blush was unblended and just sat on the cheeks in a circle.

The 1970s:

• Teared eye makeup looks were popular, which involved three colours of eyeshadow being used at once.  This is a trend that has stuck with us through until now.
• Eyebrows were tweezed like crazy.
• Later in the 70s, the look shifted to be more natural to make way for the trend of the 80s

The 1980s:

• The trend here was skin care, and sunscreens, collage, and vitamins were popular.
• The makeup was natural, because of the emphasis on skin care.
• In the mid 80s, the punk scene was the trend, with coloured mascaras and lip liners.

The 1990s – Present:

• No definitive style, everyone takes the trends and does what they please with them.
• Some of these trends are cat eye, dark red lips, pencilled brow, and smokey eye.
• We see trends and styles of past eras coming back into trend.

Check it out, Pro Foundation Application with a brush.

A couple of things I only just touched upon in this video, which I will expand on now:

• Choose a foundation colour by testing it in the center of your forehead. You can also test on your chest, because the chest/neck/face should of course match.  The jawline is a terrible place to test colours because of shadows, and because of HOW YOU CAN NOT ACTUALLY SEE YOUR OWN JAWLINE.
• I’ve already addressed the oil based vs waterbased debate in my previous post.  Check that out if you missed it.
• Colour correctors – green for red areas, yellow for dark purple areas, flesh toned which is 2 shades lighter than the darkest area for all other areas that can not be colour corrected.

Enjoy!

Let me give you some information right off the start:

• Water based products with little or no oil content must be high quality, otherwise, it will just run off your face, even after setting.
• If a product says “oil free”, there may still be some oil in it. Companies are allowed to call their products “oil free” if they have 3% or less oil.
• Oil based products are good for dry skin, but should be kept away from oily skin.
• Water based products are good for oily skin.

So how do you tell what you’re looking for?  If you’re looking for an oil based product, look for these signs:

• If it comes in a stick or a pot
• If it’s not runny
• If you have to apply with your fingers for heat
• If the coverage is more opaque

If you’re looking for a water based product, look for these signs:

• If it is runny
• If it comes in a tube
• If you have to apply it with a sponge
• If it gives light/sheer coverage

There are acceptions to the very tell-tale signs though.  Loose powders and pressed powders.  Loose powders have no binding agent, and therefore are dusty.  But pressed powders have to be held together somehow – and that is with some oil content.  With pressed powders, they can go both ways – to act as a loose powder or to act as an oil based product.  When applying a pressed powder with a sponge, you get a more creamy and opaque finish.  When applying it with a brush, you get a dusting just like a loose powder.

Check back in a little while, because I’ll have a foundation video for you soon!!

Probably, you don’t know what your face shape is. And if you do, you’re probably wondering about some tricks to cheat your face shape into a shape you actually like. So let me first define the face shapes so you can get a sense of what shape you have:

• Oval – all face shapes want to be this shape. If you have a normal forehead, and a tapered chin, you have an oval face shape, and there is no need to use any corrective methods.
• Round – is just that. The face is a complete circle.
• Square – The jaw is very angular, and the overall face is very equal in proportions.
• Heart – Often the telltale sign to distinguish the heart shape from the oval is the widow’s peak. The forehead is also broad, and sometimes the chin will be pointy.
• Diamond – the cheek bones are the main event, and protrude.  The hairline will make the forehead seem narrow, and the chin will taper.
• Pear – The jowls will be the largest part of the face, and everything else will taper upwards.
• Oblong – The face is long, and there is no real definition or tapering.
• Hexagonal – The face consists of a boxy shape with many angles at the temples, forehead, and chin.

If you like your face shape, you don’t feel the need to correct any shapes in it at all. If you do want to correct it, makeup and even hairstyle can help. I’m going to tell you how to correct these shapes with makeup, but I must warn you that if you heavily contour with daytime makeup, your face will probably just end up looking dirty.  Instead, for daytime makeup, focus on the highlights, and save the heavy contouring for nighttime.

• Oval – no correction needed here. All other face shapes want aim to be oval.
• Round – contour the hollows of the cheeks (this is normal and can be done with daytime makeup), and highlight the chin to make it appear lower.
• Square – minimize the jawline with contouring at the corners (not something you want to do with daytime), and also contour the temples. Highlight the nose to bring it forward.
• Heart – contour the temples to reduce the look of the forehead. If the chin is pointy, contour some of that away as well. Highlight the cheekbones and nose to take away from the forehead.
• Diamond – highlight those cheekbones, because you know everyone wants them!  Also highlight the temples to bring them out and look more full.  Contour away a pointy chin.
• Pear – highlight the forehead, and contour the jawline to minimize jowls.
• Oblong – highlight the cheekbones to bring out some shape, and contour the temples and hollows of the cheeks.
• Hexagonal – simply contour away angles in the forehead, temples, and cheeks.

Remember!  Highlighting is used to bring features forward, and contouring is used to push features back.  In any face shape, focus on the best qualities, and use those first and foremost to distract from other shape corrections.

Would you like to know all about my new tattoo experience?  You can read all about it on my Superman Disposition blog.