Appearance on 40+ Style!

I am happy to be catching up on my thank-you posts this week after so much craziness surrounding my upcoming job change!

I'm super excited to share that the fabulous Sylvia of 40+ Style was kind enough to include me in her recent post discussing individual style statements. I contributed a very short blurb outlining my personal style and the specific elements that help achieve it. This topic is very close to my heart, as it really helped make fashion click for me. Sometimes, even if you dress in the most fashionable outfit, you won't feel your best if you don't feel like yourself. Thanks, Sylvia, for addressing this important topic - and for allowing me to be a part of it. :D

If you don't already follow 40+ Style, please take a moment to click over and explore a really well-done blog that covers everything from clothes to hair to beauty issues. Although the blog is geared towared women over 40, a lot of the content is relevant to women of any age who want to look and feel their best!

Guest Post on Inside Out Style!

I can't tell you how positively elated I was when Imogen Lamport offered me the chance to write a guest post for her blog, Inside Out Style! Inside Out Style is one of my favorite fashion sites in general and, as far as I'm concerned, it is the place to go for in-depth articles on body type and proportions. While these topics can sometimes seem a bit fuzzy/touchy-feely/ephemeral - as in, that dreaded feeling that you either get it or you never will - Imogen lays things out with clear, easily-reproduced diagrams, pictures, and self-tests.

It's clear that I respect and admire my blogging sunbae so, if you don't already follow Inside Out Style, I'd be thrilled if you would pop over and check out my post in the Stylish Thoughts series - before continuing on to the rest of Imogen's wonderful site, of course!

E.L.F. Makeup - Before and After Review

Hello again! After my last post, lovely reader Laura asked about the coverage and color accuracy of the E.L.F. mineral products. My reply became very long-winded, so I thought I'd bite the bullet and turn it into a real makeup review. 

Before we begin, let me tell you: I am no makeup guru. Left to its own devices and deprived of its daily dose of zinc and malic/mandelic acid serum, it's sensitive, prone to cystic acne, and pretty darn oily. Add to that the fact that I refuse to spend much on my makeup, and just I can't have too much stuff on my face. I also lack the patience required to apply said stuff in anything resembling a professional - or even practiced - manner. There won't be a super-drastic change.

With that out of the way, behold: my large-scale, bangs-free, nekkid face! This photo is complete with pock marks and dark spots from where I have recently been picking at my pores (I do this when I am stressed out, and job hunting has recently left me pretty stressed). Keep in mind that the pock marks are actually indentations in my skin, and they can never fully be erased by makeup. Also note how my face is naturally a different color than my neck and shoulders - it's not that I'm too dumb to match my makeup to my skin, I swear!

 Next, we have the concealer-application shot. I use the warm shade, and I'd say the promo shot on the E.L.F. site is accurate (though I know some monitors may project the colors differently).

 

Aaaand, here I am with the concealer blended in. The spots on my nose and chin are less prominent. :)

 

Here we have a real-life shot of the the Mineral Foundation in the warm shade (for medium skin with neutral undertones, which I chose because I definitely don't have warm undertones). Clicking back and forth between these pictures, I'd say that the foundation is the teensiest smidge darker than the promo shot, and I don't know what's up with that gray-beige smudge that's supposed to show you how the product looks when blended...

Here is my face post-foundation.  Check out how asymmetrical my eyes are - this is why I wear bangs. :)

Next up: the All Over Color Stick in Lilac Petal (left) and Pink Lemonade (right) as well as the Mineral Blush in Rose (below). The color sticks go on much more silvery than the promo shots, and the blush is more pink than its peachy promo pic would let on. I left the blush out of my previous review, because I prefer the look of my 99 Cents Only store blush, but this stuff is good, too.

Here, I've applied blush, Lilac Petal to my cheeks, and Pink Lemonade to my eyelids, using the color stick as a highlighter. I usually only do this for special occasions. I tried to get a shot that showed how the shimmer in the color sticks. I've also applied LipSense lip color in Roseberry (not $1 or particularly cheap, but I bought some for my wedding, and I like how it looks under the color sticks).

And finally, here's the full effect with the Pink Lemonade Color Stick over my lip color. Pock marks are still visible, but the acne spots are covered.

Before and after. 

The shots above are all done with flash; for an idea of how this all looks in natural light (and to allow me a moment to indulge my inner bridezilla), check out a couple of photos from our kooky wedding photo session, shot by my super-talented father. :)

I am out of my Mineral Booster in Sheer, so I could not apply any above, but I did use a light dusting of that over everything for the pictures below. I Photoshopped these myself, and I did not feel the need to retouch my face - hooray for makeup! It was cheap and saved me retouching fees!

One Dollar Makeup: www.eyeslipsface.com

I've been using eyes lips face makeup - better known as E.L.F - for about three years. Now, I don't wear that much makeup, but that makes me even more loathe to shell out big bucks for it. Here are a few of my favorite, tried-and-true products! I love how E.L.F offers different price ranges within the same brand and posts lots of customer reviews.






  I know: I'm leading with products that cost more than $1! Bait and switch! Bait and switch! Sorry, the $1 stuff is coming, but I had to mention the mineral powder - my oily, shiny skin loves it. I don't use this stuff every day, but I bust out the mineral foundation, concealer, and booster when I know I'll be photographed (family events, holidays, birthday parties). If there's anything I hate, it's photo-documentation of a bad skin day. -_-



I also use the blushing brush and eyeshadow brush. I've bought other brushes and brush sets at the 99 Cents Only store in the past, and those have fallen apart after only a few uses. The E.L.F brushes stand up to their tasks, and they're so cheap I feel better about replacing them more frequently - so they are really a great investment in sanitation as well as beautification. :)

Rounding out the set, we have the All Over Color Stick. The color stick is a bit more metallic than it looks on the website, but I love it. My lips are unevenly pigmented, so a little shimmer is nice to obscure that. I use this product over my lip color, on my cheeks as a highlighter, and as an eyeshadow - three products for $1 is phenomenal! A little goes a long way, too, so it lasts forever. 

The only downside to E.L.F. is shipping - about $6 for your lot normally, but they have pretty regular shipping promotions. At the moment, shipping is just $2 if you spend over $15. 

I have sensitive skin, and I have never had a problem with these products making me break out or itch. I don't know how my sensitivity may compare to yours, but I usually cannot wear mascara or eyeshadow, even by Clinique and other hypoallergenic brands.