Covering an Accidental Sunglass Tan line!!!

First of all, I'd like to apologize for not having added any new posts lately.  Between juggling work, gym after work and a hungry husband...after work, it's been really difficult to work on the blog.  However, I will try to be more diligent, with hopefully at least one new post each week. 

So, I've just come back from a family ski/snowboarding trip in Meribel, France.  The weather was amazing and in the plus double digits.  The sun was shining all week long and there was almost no sight of even a single cloud in the sky.  Great for skiing and snowboarding in t-shirts but absolutely horrendous for tan lines!!!

Because snow reflects the sun's rays off of it, it is incredibly necessary to ski with sunglasses or a mask on to protect your eyes.  It is also important to wear a sunblock with high SPF.  Unfortunately, I had an SPF 30 sunblock on my face with an SPF 42 BB cream over that.  For those of you who don't know this, wearing the SPF 30 and then SPF 42 doesn't mean I have a combined total of SPF 72 on.  In fact, I've been told that the first thing you put on will absorb into your skin and will sort of block the second SPF product.  So, the result was a not so high protection factor on my face and a horrible tan line.

So, this is how you can cover it up without using a full coverage foundation that will make you look like you've got way too much makeup on for the day. 

Start by getting a slightly darker foundation than what you normally use.  Go much darker if the tanned part of your face is significantly much darker than usual.  A darker colour will help to blend out the contrast naturally.  Don't try to lighten the darker part of your face with a lighter foundation as you could end up with an ashy finish. 

Next, use a highlighter above your cheekbones.  Something a little shimmery will work better.  This will create an illusion that the lighter part of your face, above the cheeks and below your eyes, was purposely lightened for highlighting purposes. 

Finally, use a blusher and apply it over the area where the light and dark areas meet. 

Voila!!!  It's as simple as that!!!

Here's an important reminder for when you're doing any kind of outdoor sports!!!  High SPF in your makeup is never as good as sunblock.  So, always apply a sunblock with a high SPF before you put on your makeup!!!  EVEN IF YOUR MAKEUP HAS A HIGH SPF!!

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair!!

I don't know how many of you religiously read reviews on beauty products but there are a number of products that have had amazing reviews from users all over the world.  Yes, you'll see reviews in magazines and articles that show you before and after photos, but how do you know if any of those are actually digitally enhanced?

I'm about to do something that I consider quite brave and in order to do so, I will strip off all my makeup and show you every flaw on my face.  I recently bought the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair serum.  I've heard great things about how it's one of the few products out there that not only prevents future damage to the skin but also repairs it.  I was battling between trying out Strivectin SD and the Advanced Night Repair serum and decided to go with the latter because it had outstanding reviews and the former, although has a lot of hype around it, did not have stellar reviews.

The Advanced Night Repair promises to reduce the signs of aging such as fine lines, wrinkles, scars, age spots etc.  Apparently, it is so popular due to its effectiveness, a bottle is sold every 8 seconds around the world. I have been noticing lines forming on my forehead over the last year and I'm not so sure if they have gotten worse or I'm just more aware of them because I no longer have bangs to cover them.  Nevertheless, the fine lines and past acne scarring have been bothering me a lot and I'm determined to find a product other than botox that will get rid of them or at least significantly reduce them.

So, over the next few months, I plan on showing you the progress, starting with this blog in which I have only used the product for one night. Keep in mind, I am also using the Estee Lauder Idealist Skin Illuminator which is supposed to reduce dark spots as well.  However, I do believe any significant progress would be more credited to the Advance Night Repair as the Idealist Skin Illuminator had some pretty average reviews. 

Here are my problem areas!!  Let's see if there is a difference in about a month or so. You can be the judge for yourself and I promise you these photos will have no photoshopping at all. 

Problem: Fine lines across my forehead and especially on both the left and right sides

Problem:  Acne scarring and uneven skintone

Problem: Acne scarring and uneven skintone

My Makeup Pick of the Month!!!

MAC Lipstick in MAC Red!!!!

This is officially my first red lipstick.  I've never owned anything quite so red and to be honest, I wasn't sure I liked red lipstick on anyone let alone myself!!!  It's very trendy but a trend that women tend to love and men tend to hate!!!  I didn't dislike it because of that but it is rather bold and makes quite a statement!  However, this is a look that has grown on me and I realized that it can look very classic when paired with extremely nude eyes and simple hair.

Similar to other MAC lipsticks, this one does not dry out my lips.  It has a satin finish which is neither glossy nor shimmery but gives lips a nice dewy finish.  I love the texture, finish and the colour.

And...I got it for free!!!  You can get yours for free too with MAC's recycling program!!!  Collect 6 empty MAC containers (not the boxes that they are sold in but the plastic or glass containers that stores the product) and trade them in for any lipstick of your choice.  This is practiced all over the world, in every MAC store. 

Friday Alter Ego: Leopard Eye Makeup

I finally managed to find some time to come up with an alter ego look for this week.  This is really easy to do.

Eyeshadow:
Apply a brown eyeshadow all over your eyelids and a coral coloured eyeshadow on your corners and the hollow part of your eyes just under the brow bone.  Use a gold eyeshadow on your brow bone.

Leopard print:
Draw large and small circles all over your eyelids using a black eyeliner.  It's really easy because the circles obviously don't have to be perfect.  Apply brown eyeshadow to the inside of each circle.

Eyeliner:
When drawing your eyeliner, extend beyond the natural outline of your eyes on both corners and bring it up a little on the outer corners.  Make a a sharp point on the inner corners too.  This will create a cat like effect on your eyes.

Eyelashes and eyebrows:
Define your eyebrows with a very dark pencil and put on some dramatic false eyelashes to complete the look!!!

This is a really easy and it looks impressive so try it out for your next fancy dress or Halloween party.

What I used:
K-Palette 1 Day Tattoo Real Lasting Eyeliner in black
Ros n Roy eyeshadow in a brown shade
MAC Peachtwist blush (on my eys because I don't have an orange toned eyeshadow)
L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadow in Goldmine
Diorshow eyeliner in black
Illamasqua false eyelashes (not sure which number)