Lots of blushy glow & a lil pop of blue. Posted on my Instagram earlier this week!

With finals coming up, I’ve had no time to breathe, let alone beat my face to my liking. Take away my time to play with colors on my face, and you’ve got a very grumpy lady. I don’t feel like sacrificing my love of makeup just to make up for the fact that I’ve got work to do, so I’ve figured out ways to cut down my routine while still playing with bright colors and creating looks that I love! :-)

Let’s break it down to a few simple tips anyone and everyone can use…

1. Skip foundation.

I know. Scary. I used to run and hide from that suggestion too.

What I like to do is solely use concealer and powder. Spot concealer any redness or pimples that might be bothering you — not everything though, it’s okay to have some spots! I also conceal my under-eyes. Top it off with some powder, and you’re good to go.

For my oily folks, I know that might make you oilier than usual, but just roll with it. Play it off as an intentional glow.

2. Blush & highlight are your best friends.

You could have on the most neutral eye look of all time, but if you look slightly sunburnt and very glowy, the look is suddenly bold.

For a look like this, using a liquid lipstick as a blush (or a cream blush… if you’re less broke than me) works like a charm and lasts all day. Just apply it on one of those little makeup wedges and blend like crazy. Cheeks, nose, forehead, brow bone, cupid’s bow… go wild with blush placement.

Once your blush is on, top it off with highlight and LOTS of it. My favorite trick to make highlight pop is to spray your setting spray, let it dry for just a few seconds, and then start packing the highlight on a slightly damp face. This gives that really metallic look, and if you use pale pink or lavender, your look goes from glam to bold real quick.

(For highlight, I’ve ditched my fan brush for my Real Techniques contour brush. I prefer it!)

3. Go messy on the eyes.

So you wanna play with color, but you know blending to perfection will take too much time? Then don’t. Maybe this goes against every makeup rule you’ve ever heard… oh well. Rules are meant for breaking, according to some.

I was inspired to take this leap by pixiwoo‘s Sam Chapman. She loves smudgy, imperfect looks, and I love what she creates, so I decided to throw away my previous idea of eye makeup and give it a shot. Gotta admit, I love it.

Run a blue through your crease, coat your eyes in pink shadow, smudge red all along your waterline. Give it a blend with a big brush, and don’t worry so much about how even or softly blended it looks. Make it edgy and bright and “cool,” whatever that means.

4. Lashes… maybe?

If you’re good at applying lashes, hell yeah, put those bad boys on. If not, you might defeat the purpose of doing a quick makeup.

For instance, every time I tell myself, “Yes! I can put on lashes hella quick!” I end up needing to reapply them 3 times and ultimately taking way too much time. So if you trust yourself, do it, and they’ll make any look pop.

If you’re a little less skilled in the lash department, curl your natural lashes and put on mascara. Maybe apply a bright mascara on your lower lashline. My favorite hack for that is to apply some NYX Vivid Brights liner on a clean spoolie and brush it through. It’s probably not as long lasting, but it does the trick if you don’t wanna go out and buy a colorful mascara.

5. Quick, bold lips.

Lips are a pretty quick step of makeup, unless you go out of the lines as easily as I do. I like to stain my lips with a bright color, like red or purple, using my finger to messily pat a wash of the color throughout. I especially focus in on the center of the lips; it gives that “I just ate a red popsicle” look, which I adore.

Additionally, gloss is super quick, and even something clear and sparkly could elevate your look to the next level! Play with whatever colors you like.

So there you have it. Fun, bright makeup in no time at all.

You can look fabulous and study like crazy. This is a real possibility, contrary to popular belief. If you’re going through it right now with finals, best of luck to you! And don’t forget to give yourself a little makeup pick-me-up! xo

As someone with hooded eyelids, doing a cut crease − one of the most popular eye makeup trends at the moment − was much more of a struggle than for my un-hooded counterparts. Although I’m still no expert on this technique, I have a few tips and tricks that might come in handy for any of you with the same struggle.

What are hooded eyes?

Let’s start with the basics, as this is a valid question. You have to know what you’ve got before you go about solving the problem.

Hooded eyes are created by the drooping of eye’s crease area to block the eyelid. You can tell if you have hooded eyes by looking straight ahead into the mirror. If the upper part of your lid covers parts of your mobile, lower lid, you have hooded eyes.

Hooded eyes can be minor or severe, and they’re nothing bad at all. In fact, they’re quite common. But because of hooding, doing the fancy crease work required in cut creases can cause a bit of a problem. Sometimes your work is simply covered up, folded into your crease.

This issue can be worked around with a few different techniques.

Tips & Tricks

1. Placement is everything. You might have to cut the crease a little bit higher than other people would. When you’re cutting the crease, look forward at the mirror as you map it out. Make sure that line is visible even with your eyes facing straight ahead. By making sure that cut is above your hooded crease area, it will mask the hoodedness (a word I probably just made up). Even if it seems like you’re going too high, it might look better.
2. Try a new shape. For some people, it’s easy to just cut the entire crease without any of it getting hidden. For those of us with hooding, a different style may be in order. Try only cutting half of the crease, usually in the inner half of your eye. Or work more on the outer half, like in my 60s tutorial. This way, you can tailor the shape to whatever part of your eye you want to target, and the crease will not get hidden as much.
3. Work with lines. Sometimes, a neutral eye with a colorful line as the cut crease works best. This gives all the “wow” factor, while actually being easier to place above the crease. Any type of line art seems to be easier to place in optimal positions.
4. Wing it out. If you extend the cut crease past your actual eye shape, you get more visibility, because it’s away from your hooded eyelid. This can even create a more dramatic flair and add a pop that you might’ve been missing (especially if the cut crease tends to get hidden).
5. Deepen the colors. If you make the crease area itself deeper and darker, you can create the illusion of a new crease, even if it does get a bit hidden in the hooding of your crease. Then, once blended, you create a bit of an optical illusion.

Above all else, don’t be afraid to try something new!

Even though it feels like wasted time when your hard work gets hidden in your crease, you are still practicing (and probably still creating something stunning, even if you don’t think so). Don’t be too hard on yourself… No one became the cut crease master in a single day.

xo

When my family decided to throw a 60s theme party, I was over the moon. I’m like a child — I love to play dress-up (probably part of the reason why I love makeup so much). Searching for some inspiration across the internet, I decided upon a look inspired by a pixiwoo tutorial. I added some slight changes to make it my own, but take a look at her video too if you’d like to see the process (and if you love watching tutorials as much as I do)! For how to create these eyes, just keep reading…

Steps

1. Start off with some strong brows. Using a brow pomade and a thin angled brush, start adding some thin brush strokes, making your brows a little thicker than usual. (Mine ended up looking a little crunchy because of too much brow gel, but I rolled with it.) Make sure not to carve the brows out too much if you add concealer.
2. Next is where the fun part begins. Always remember, though: priming the eyes is key to longevity. Whether you prefer a sticky base or a set base, work with what works for you. I conceal my lids and set with loose powder. If you’re into a sticky base, you can give MAC Paint Pots a go. Then, take a nude eyeshadow all over the lid.
3. Using the darkest navy blue shade from the Morphe 35B palette, begin carving out a high crease. Build from the outer corner and sweep it in using a tiny definer brush. When you do this, make sure you look straight ahead at the mirror without lifting your brow, this way you can see how the shape will look when your eyes are open. Alternate between blending and carving.
4. Now that you have your shape mapped out, create a small wing (well… it’s small for me) with black gel liner, angling so that it meets up with where your blue crease ends. If it doesn’t match up perfectly at first, don’t worry! Mine didn’t either. You can adjust and add in the next step. And don’t forget to tightline with some black eyeliner, which will help when you add lashes.
5. Add some more blue shadow to the outer corner of the crease, meeting up with the end of the wing. Then lightly add some black shadow on the outermost area. Make sure you don’t go in too heavy-handed, and keep the black towards the very bottom of the crease. This adds more depth and definition.
6. If too much blue shadow has fallen onto your lid, go back in with some nude eyeshadow on the lid, carefully to clean it up. All mistakes in makeup can be fixed :-)
7. Next, take that same blue shade on the lower lashline with a pencil brush. Don’t blend out too far, just enough to create a nice fade. If you want more definition, add some black shadow right against the lashline and blend out a bit.
8. This next step was a fun twist, diverging from Sam’s tutorial. Taking a pointed eyeliner brush and the same gel liner I used for the wing, I started drawing a few lashes on the lower lashline. If you need a reference photo, Twiggy is a great source of inspiration. Add as many “lashes” as you’d like!
9. Add some extra touches to create the doll-eyed look. Add some matte white eyeshadow on the inner corner and brow bone. Line your waterline with a creamy, white eyeliner pencil. These steps will help your eyes to look bigger and more awake.
10. Finish it off with some wipsy lashes. I used Kiss lashes in Pageboy. The lashes are spaced apart, which gave a dolly look. Add a little bit of mascara, and you’re done!

Make sure you have a matte face and natural blush, and finish it off with a light pink lip. The combo of blue and pink gave me strong Trixie Mattel vibes, which I adored! Most importantly, just have fun with it. I’d wear this look whether I was going to a 60s party or not.

Let me know if you’d like to see more decade looks 

We’ve all heard it before. “Enter my Morphe code at checkout for 10% off!”

We get it. Every beauty guru these days seems to be affiliated with Morphe. I don’t know about you, but I’ve questioned Morphe’s quality in the past. Somehow, by constantly hearing the company being promoted, I wanted to try their products even less. I had gone all this time without ever trying a single Morphe product, until I saw the 35B palette.

The bright colors drew me in, and as I saw more and more people on my Instagram feed using this palette, I thought I’d give it a fair shot.

Shoutout to my wonderful friend Elouise for gifting me this palette — the review would’ve been impossible without you, my dear. 

The Basics

• Price: $23. For 35 shadows, that comes out to about $0.66 per shadow. To me, that’s a damn steal. These shadows are at a drugstore price, and they’re much better than many shadows you’d find at the drugstore. You really can’t beat that.
• Pigmentation: Overall, 8.5/10. I find myself getting more payoff from the mattes than some of the shimmers. But I can’t complain much. The shadows not only have nice pigmentation, but they build nicely too. If you like a light wash of color, that’s possible, but you can easily build it up for more. (Even the white shade had nice payoff without looking chalky!)
• Blendability: 9/10. I haven’t had any trouble blending these. Simple as that. They blend nice just like the rest of my shadows, without knocking off too much pigmentation.
• Longevity: 9/10. Oftentimes, I expect my cheaper eyeshadows – or really any eyeshadows – to wear off a bit throughout the day. It happens a lot with my shimmers from Coastal Scents. These shadows seemed to hold up, even through my longer days.

Preferences

• Primer: I generally prime my eyes with my Maybelline Instant Age Rewind concealer and set it with my Coty Airspun powder. That works nicely! Having a set base allows these shadows to blend easier. But the palette came with a sample of the Morphe Eyelid Primer, which dries down to a tackier base. Although that requires a bit more blending work, a sticky base really brings out the pigmentation.
• Matte or shimmer? While the shimmers genuinely are nice, the mattes win. I haven’t used every shade in the palette yet, but the mattes really bring the smoothness and pigmentation. They never seem to skip when I’m blending, which tends to happen to me a lot.
• Favorite colors: Referring to the shade list on the website to make it easier. Like I said, haven’t tried every color yet, but these are my favorites so far. Bubble Gum (probably my favorite shimmer, I love it on the inner corner), Sunshine, Puffs, Bikini, and Azure. And I’m so excited to play with Ink! Honestly, choosing my favorites is really, really hard.

So what’s the verdict? I can’t speak for every Morphe product, but I gotta admit, I’m in love with this palette (I even liked the eyeshadow primer and might have to invest in a full size, honestly). For someone like me who really values a good bargain, this allows me to create so much on a budget. Coupled with my other staple palettes, the possibilities are endless — hell, the possibilities are endless even without any other palettes!

Got any other Morphe products you love? Let me know in the comments xo

« To see some looks I’ve created with this palette, visit my Instagram »

To those who celebrate, Happy Easter! As you may (or may not) have noticed from the photos above, today’s post is on someone other than me: my beautiful best friend, Rach. I created this cotton candy inspired, spring-esque look on her, and I couldn’t be more pleased. For product details and a how-to on the eyes, keep on reading!

Eyes:

• Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Chocolate
• Covergirl Professional Natural Lash Mascara in Clear (as brow gel)
• Morphe 35B Color Burst Eyeshadow Palette
• Coastal Scents 88 Original Palette
• Coastal Scents 88 Shimmer Palette
• Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette
• NYX Glitter Primer
• NYX Glitter in Pink
• Bare Minerals Round the Clock Intense Cream Glide Eyeliner in 4 AM
• Kiss Lashes in Sultry
• L’Oreal Telescopic Mascara in Carbon Black

Face:

• Maybelline Master Prime 100
• Revlon PhotoReady Pore Reducing Primer
• Wet N Wild Photofocus Foundation in Porcelain
• Coastal Scents Eclipse Concealer Palette
• Coty Airspun Loose Face Powder in Translucent Extra Coverage
• Kat Von D Shade and Light Contour Palette
• IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Blush
• Anastasia Beverly Hills Highlighters in Kitty Kat & Forever Lit

Lips:

• (Not pictured, I know, but head over to Instagram if you’d like to see)
• MAC Matte Lipstick in Please Me
• MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Creme Cup
• Kiko Milano 3D Instant Volume Lip Gloss in 205

Tutorial

1. Using a mix of the It Cosmetics Blush and Too Faced’s Candied Peach eyeshadow, run the shades through the crease on a fluffy blending brush. To map out the winged shape of the eyeshadow, I slowly built up the color past the eye.
2. With my new Morphe 35B palette (which I am loving and might be doing a review on soon), I began building the outer corner and crease with the brightest pink shade (4 across, 4 down). I spent awhile bringing it to my desired opacity and blending it to the cat eye shape.
3. The next step isn’t exactly necessary, but I used it as a bit of insurance. The lid will be covered with glitter, but I didn’t want to have any blank skin showing through. Using a flat, dampened brush, I packed on the light pink shimmery color (3 across, 2 down) from 35B.
4. This is the fun part – glitter! Going one eye at a time, I put on a minimal amount of the NYX Glitter base. Then, I packed on pink glitter with a flat brush. Slowly building, I made sure to blend it into the eyeshadow as best as I could along the edges. You can achieve this by going in again with the pink eyeshadow on a fluffy brush once the glitter has dried.
5. Next, the blue. Start by making a base using the Bare Minerals blue eyeliner. Put it on your waterline, and smudge onto the lower lashline. Then, using a baby blue from the Coastal Scents 88 Original, blend it out. Deepen it with a matte blue (7 across, 2 down) from 35B.
6. Final touches. Add a pink sparkly shade on the top of the inner corner and a blue sparkly shade on the bottom of the inner corner. I used the white highlighter from the face and used it on the brow bone. Finish with lashes and mascara, and you’re done!

This look is soft and (for me, at least) wearable for spring. The bright colors can make any eyes pop. Enjoy! xo

I’m a huge fan of Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation. I really am. But spending $42 every time I ran out just didn’t feel too realistic. Especially considering the fact that I feel guilty spending over $5 at McDonalds.

So being cheap and wanting to find a good drugstore foundation, I decided to turn to one of my favorite YouTubers, thataylaa. One foundation I found through her channel was the wet n wild Photo Focus Foundation. At such a low cost, I figured it was worth a shot. This post will detail my experience with the foundation and hopefully give you an idea of if it’s the right fit for you!

The Basics

My skin type: Oily, decently sized pores, and a fair amount of texture and acne scarring

The price: $4.68 at Walmart

My shade: Porcelain. Keep in mind, this shade was the best of the ones left at my local Walmart. It’s definitely a bit light for me, and if I keep wearing it in the summer, I’ll need to go about 2 shades darker.

The finish: Upon application, satin, verging on matte

The coverage: Low medium. Can be built up to full medium.

Application

The first time I used this foundation, I tried the Revlon Photoready Pore-Reducing Primer (for the first time) and my Murad Oil-Control Mattifier, using the Real Techniques buffing brush. I also set the powder with a bit of loose setting powder, which I usually use to control oil.

Bad idea. My T-zone had a very weird texture, and it highlighted my pores a bit more than I would usually like. I don’t recommend using that powder trick underneath this one.

Through trial and error, I’ve found what complements Photo Focus best.

Best method: Beauty sponge (my preference is the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge). My buffing brush works nicely too, but I seem to still end up smoothing with a sponge. Dotting on the face and then blending works better than dipping the sponge right in the foundation.

Best primer: Maybelline Facestudio Master Prime 100 Blur + Smooth. Revlon Pore-Reducing Primer works nicely, although I need to keep playing with it.

The Wear

How long does it last? I usually wear this foundation for anywhere from 8 to 11 hours, depending on my day. When I get home, I look dewy, especially around my nose and on my forehead. It’s usually verging on oily, but not quite there. A quick blot would fix it.

Right by my nostrils, foundation always tends to break up and rub off. This foundation is no exception to that, but I won’t dock points for that. It’s a me problem.

To set, or not to set? Set, set, and set again. The finish is gorgeous upon application, but if you’re oily like me, you’ll be verging on an oil slick without powder.

Comparisons? I’ve only ever tried a sample of Too Faced Born This Way, but I feel like this one has a similar look and feel. And it seems to last longer than Born This Way on my skin.

Final Thoughts

My rating: 7.5/10

This is a nice foundation, especially when you consider the price. Maybe not the most smoothing or the most coverage, but it works well. And at the moment, it’s the only foundation my broke ass is using. I’ll keep playing around with different applications and see how it goes.

Got any drugstore foundation recommendations? Let me know in the comments xo

Countless times, I’ve seen amazing graphic liner on Instagram, and all of those times, I told myself it was something I could never do. My hands are too shaky, the details are too precise, I’d just end up making a mess. But today I gave it a try, and guess what? It turned out just fine!

So I’m here to share some of my best tips to tackle the difficult task of graphic liner — and make it a lot less difficult than it seems!

1. Start with an eyeliner you feel comfortable with. For me, I always use L’Oreal Infallible Lacquer Liner in Blackest Black with a thin eyeliner brush. I prefer gel liners for their matte finish and longer wear time, but if you have a liquid liner you enjoy, go for it. Whatever works best for you.
2. I like to draw my wing before foundation. With this method, I can wipe the edges clean with a wipe to get that satisfyingly sharp line. Another tip: since we’re going to add those rings around the wing, a longer wing is best. This allows you to have more space to work with, making the graphic elements more visible and not scrunched up close to your eye.
3. This is my most important eyeliner tip: get up close and personal. I use a two-sided mirror; one side is normal, and the other side is magnified 5x. If you don’t have a magnified mirror, get really close to your mirror. Your eyeliner is going to look a lot smoother and more precise from a normal distance if you perfect the details up close.
4. Once your eyeliner is perfect (or as close to perfect as you can make it), take a deep breath. I recommend doing your face makeup at this point if you haven’t yet, since undereye concealer and powder would be a pain with the rings already draw on.
5. For the graphic element, I used NYX Vivid Brights Liquid Liner in Vivid Fire. Choose a color you like! Although this liner cracks very easily and isn’t perfectly smooth, it’s a low-price option, so it can work. Use whatever cream or liquid color you’d like in this scenario.
6. Once again, close to the mirror, start drawing the rings. It’s basically a backwards C around the liner. If you get a bit of the color where you don’t want it, you can always touch up with some of the black liner or concealer, depending on where the error is.
7. With some patience (and perhaps some practice), you should have some cool space-esque rings around your liner!

This technique can be used for other shapes and styles, but especially for a beginner, this style isn’t too hard. At first, you might struggle with shaky hands or a few bumpy parts. Just try to balance your hand against your face and your elbow on the table to keep yourself steady. And don’t be afraid to try something new! With enough practice, any makeup technique is possible.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask!

I think I speak for all of us non-freckled folks when I say this: freckles are the cutest. Although our freckly friends may disagree, I love piling on the blush and the freckles and feeling like a doe-eyed Bambi.

Although I’m no expert on creating them, this post will explain how I go from plain to freckled in no time!

1. Start with a smooth base. I recommend using a pore-filling primer. (In this instance, do as I say and not as I do, because my pores are pretty visible in the photos above. I don’t think my Revlon pore-reducing primer does enough for my large pores.) I recommend Benefit’s Porefessional, but your favorite will do!
2. After foundation and concealer, make sure you set your face completely in the spots where you want to put the freckles — especially in the center of the face on the nose and cheeks. Other than Coty Airspun, I really like using It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores pressed powder on a Real Techniques sponge.
3. Before putting on any freckles, add some color to your face. In my opinion, a lot of bronzer and blush really suits the look. In this look, the blush mainly sat right below my eyes and on the tip of my nose. Another ideal spot for blush, especially with freckles, is across the bridge of the nose. Play around with it and really warm up your face!
4. Additionally, if you want to add highlight, I suggest mainly adding it before the freckles go on. You can add it after as well, but I prefer beforehand.
5. Now the fun part: the freckles! Using a precise eyeliner brush, dip into some ABH Dipbrow Pomade. If you don’t have pomade (be it ABH or not), use an eyebrow pencil — one that’s a bit on the softer side. Begin lightly dotting the freckles on, mainly concentrating in the center of the face. These high points where the sun would hit are where freckles tend to be most prevalent. If needed, look at some pictures of people with freckles and try to replicate the placement.
6. As you work, lightly tap over the freckles with your ring finger to make sure they don’t look too harsh. You can also use a beauty blender for this, especially if a freckle is looking too dark.
7. When you’re satisfied with how many new freckles you have, make sure to set your face. You can add some more setting powder, or just set with your favorite setting spray! I chose to do both (the oily struggle).

You should now be left with the freckles of your dreams! The most important thing is to rock them with confidence. If you feel like you did too much, a beauty blender with some excess foundation should buff those babies away. Have fun :-) xo

Nose contour isn’t always an easy task, especially not for a beginner. Sometimes it becomes too muddy, and sometimes it blends away into nothing at all. Sometimes your foundation blends off. Sometimes you try cream contour, and your base is absolutely ruined.

I get it. I’ve been there.

But as a person who has had a nose for over 20 years, I’ve found some tips and tricks to make my contouring experience a lot less stressful and a lot more effective. This routine might be way too much for some and absolutely not enough for others — I advise you to tailor it to your needs! The first rule of makeup is that makeup has no rules.

How To

1. Start with a set nose. Meaning, make sure nothing feels sticky or tacky If your foundation and/or concealer isn’t set, anything over top is going to appear patchy. If your foundation doesn’t dry down completely, use some powder. I recommend Coty Airspun Loose Powder or Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder. I like applying my powder with the flat side of a damp Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge.
2. With the lightest contour shade in my Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette, I lightly begin blending onto the sides of my nose with a Coastal Scents blending brush. The closer together you bring the lines on either side, the more narrow your nose will appear. I tend to only bring mine in slightly more than the natural edges. Then, I add a little bit right on the front of my nose by my nostrils.
3. Again with that lightest contour shade, I lightly sketch a line across the tip of my nose to make it appear a little more natural. By adding another shadow, the contour looks less like two lines down the nose and a little more button-like.
4. Then, taking the middle contour shade and tapping off the excess, I add a little extra dimension to the innermost parts of the shaded lines. This creates a more realistic shadow effect.
5. Taking my Real Techniques sponge again, I lightly blend the contour. This softens the lines, especially since some foundation is leftover on the sponge. Make sure you don’t blend away too much! But if you do, you can always add more contour powder and intensify as needed.
6. This next part is essential. Once I learned this, my contour game was elevated to the next level. Using a damp beauty wedge, I bake with Airspun. I apply a heavy layer from where my contour ends all the way down the sides of my nose. I also add a thin line down the center in between the areas of contour and on the very front of my nose. I’ve found that this makes a much more realistic effect than simply adding a shadow. (Plus, baking seems to reduce the oil production on my nose throughout the day!)
7. After 5 to 10 minutes, lightly swipe the leftover bake off of your nose. You should be left with a slightly brightened effect where the powder was sitting.
8. Using your favorite highlighter — I use the Anastasia Beverly Hills Sun Dipped Glow Kit (shade: Moonstone) — and a thin brush, add highlight down the bridge and on the tip of your nose. Try not to overdo it. If you want to minimize the size of your nose, too much highlighter on the tip can have an adverse effect.
9. One more time with the Real Techniques sponge, lightly tap onto your nose to marry the highlighter with your skin and make things look a bit softer. You’re done!

After following these steps, you should have a neatly contoured nose! But if you don’t get it perfect on the first try, no worries. Practice makes perfect, especially with something like this. Just like winged eyeliner, this is a strategy that doesn’t come easily right away. Good luck, and feel free to ask questions in the comments! ♡

One quick look at YouTube or Instagram tells us glowy, luminous-from-within skin is a major trend at the moment. But apparently glowy skin can’t just be glowy. It has to be smooth, poreless, blemish-free, and never oily. Unless you have perfect, normal-type skin, that’s a tough task to accomplish. For those of us who are oily or prone to breakouts, “glowing from within” becomes greasy and unflattering within a few short hours.

I’m all too familiar with that struggle. For years, I struggled (and I still struggle) with acne. Not to mention, a few hours — or less than that on a particularly hot and humid day — turns anything other than a matte finish into an oil slick. Despite loving being matte, I didn’t want to look flat either. I envied those who could glow flawlessly all day. So I took bits and pieces of other routines and tailored those to fit my needs.

I’m no professional, nor am I a skincare expert, but here’s hoping parts of my routine can help with yours too!

My skin transformation:

Before the Makeup

You’ll hear it a million times, but it’s the truth. What you put on your face before the makeup actually makes a difference. I won’t bore you with the basic “drink water” mantra — we’ve all been told that, and the truth is it just doesn’t work if you’re acne-prone. I could drink water all day, and sure, that helps, but water isn’t making my skin magically flawless.

Start your routine with a cleanser that works for you. I use Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash in the morning and Tonymoly Natural Green Moisture Foam Cleanser at night. Other great cleansers include Phisoderm Anti-Blemish Gel Cleanser and Lush Dark Angels. No matter what cleanser you’re using, make sure it’s right for you. As oily as you may be, never go with something that dries you out. You may think that helps, but it just increases oil production, and if you’re reading this post, I’m pretty sure you don’t want that.

Next, I use apple cider vinegar as a toner. Since ACV is a bit strong and can make your eyes burn, mellow it out with some water. Try a 1:2 or 1:1 ratio, dependent on how sensitive your skin is. ACV works wonders for acne scarring and any darkness on your skin. When I was a freshman in high school, a dermatologist told me I’d never be able to completely rid myself of my scarring — she was wrong, ACV fixed my skin.

The next part is key, and a lot of people with oily skin tend to forget about it. Moisturize. When you’re oily, you think your skin already has all the moisture it needs. In many cases, this is wrong. Moisturizing can help balance your skin out, and I’ve found this step can actually reduce oil production. I like to use Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion. The formula is thin — thinner than the Cerave lotion I tried — so my skin gets moisture without feeling greasy.

Another shocking step follows: oils and serums. This is another part of the moisturization process. I like to use Skin Science Skin-Refining Face Serum with Collagen & Vitamin C in the morning and Life-flo Pure Rosehip Seed Oil at night (other brands work too!). You can find great products like these for low prices at TJ Maxx and Marshalls. I’ve found that oils really make my skin smooth, and rosehip oil has even helped with dark spots and scarring.

Even with all these steps, sometimes you need a stronger product to work its magic. My doctor prescribed Clindamycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical Gel to me, and it has worked wonders for texture and acne. If you are unable to visit a doctor, find a spot treatment that works for you. I really like Rescue Me! Acne Blemish Treatment (Original Formula) and Neutrogena On-the-Spot Acne Treatment.

Extra Care

When your skin really needs a refresher, a face mask does the trick. If you’re planning on using this makeup routine, I recommend using a mask the night before. Sometimes doing one immediately beforehand can mess with how the makeup applies, so don’t let that ruin your glowy makeup look!

As a typical broke college student, I don’t find it necessary to splurge on masks. Plenty of cost-efficient options exist, and when you find the right one, the effects can be powerful. I really love the new L’Oreal Pure-Clay line of masks. My personal favorites are Red Algae and Seaweed.

Additionally, sheet masks can work pretty nicely too. Although they don’t seem to give me long-lasting effects, I love using them the night before wearing makeup. My skin always feels more plump and refreshed for a day or so afterwards, and the cooling effects during application calm irritated skin.

If you’re willing to splurge, I’ve had the pleasure of using some Peter Thomas Roth masks. My favorite is rose stem cell. Trying these is more of an investment, so consider getting a pack of a few different sample sizes, called Meet Your Mask. That way, you can test the waters without the luxuriously priced financial commitment.

After any masks, I’ll do my normal skincare routine. The masks just seem to pack an extra punch if I’m breaking out or if I’ve had a long week of wearing makeup. Occasionally, I’ll use Ole Henriksen Grease Relief Cleansing Cloths to clean and exfoliate. Other than that, I stick to my usual.

The Makeup

Finally, after all that foreshadowing, we’re at the fun part! Just remember, you gotta put in some of that extra work beforehand to make your glow as nice as possible.

After doing your morning skincare and letting that sink in for 10 minutes (or however much time you’ve got), start with a good primer. If you’re going drugstore, Maybelline Master Prime (Blur + Smooth 100) works awesome. If you have some more money, Murad Oil-Control Mattifier keeps me matte for so long and locks my makeup in place.

Next, I stole this tip from Queen Jackie Aina. Using the flat part of my Real Techniques sponge, I apply a loose powder (my personal choice, Coty Airspun) underneath my makeup. For oily skin, this tip is a godsend. The powder serves as a barrier to soak up oils before they reach the surface and mess with your foundation.

For this part, you have a few options. Dependent on how much coverage you like, you can take two different routes. Either spot conceal, or use a foundation. Inspired by one of my favorite YouTubers thataylaa, I gained a lot of confidence to step out of the house with just some concealer instead of a full base. This is ideal when I have less time to get ready. But still, there’s no harm in wanting a full face of foundation, which I usually opt for. Remember, blemishes are completely normal and just as beautiful as clear skin. If you don’t want to cover your blemishes, don’t. More power to you!

When applying my foundation of choice, Estee Lauder Double Wear, I find that the finish is a bit too matte for the look I want to achieve. My favorite trick is to mix in a bit of my Cetaphil lotion. Although this takes away some coverage and might require more product, I think it’s worth it for the finish. Where sometimes the foundation clings to some texture, the touch of lotion makes my skin look more smooth and supple. Since Cetaphil isn’t oily, this doesn’t really affect how oily my skin gets throughout the day. If you’re concerned, though, save the lotion-foundation mix for the outer parts of your face, and keep it to just foundation in the T-zone.

The next part is my favorite: blush. Everyone talks about highlighter, but I love blush to really make me glow. Sometimes I mix my Anastasia liquid lipstick in Crush with Cetaphil and blend it across my nose and cheeks with a beauty wedge. A similar effect can be achieved by using a normal tube of lipstick. If that’s not your cup of tea, your favorite blush will do the trick. Change it up, and apply it across the nose or at the very high points of your cheeks — it really brings life into the face! A blush with a bit of a sheen is ideal for this.

Highlight a bit, preferably with a cream or liquid highlighter. Don’t feel the need to pack on the highlighter just because it’s a glowy look. The previous steps should be giving you that inner glow already.

Most importantly, apply powder where you need, just to make sure the look stays intact. Set your undereye concealer, your T-zone, any problem areas. I like applying powder with my damp sponge so it really melts into the skin. When you set your face — nothing wrong with a mattifying setting spray to ensure longevity here, I use Physicians Formula #InstaReady Setting Spray — the powder will melt into the skin even more. If the powder covers any highlight or blush, you can always add more afterwards! Highlighter especially looks nice after the face has been set. No steps are written in stone. See what works for you.

There it is!

My very extra, long-winded explanation of how to glow. Got any questions or suggestions for me? Feel free to leave a comment! Let me know how you glow :-)