My Everyday Makeup Routine

So I have been trying to improve my makeup skills, and - believe me - it took time for me to make progress. I'm not exactly into heavy makeup, and I think using very few products works best for me. I decided to snap and share with you my current "everyday" makeup routine (for the rare days I do put makeup on, that is). Hope you enjoy!

Bare face (excuse the makeup stains on my towel, I think I ran out of paper towels that day...) + Coconut and Shae butter; this thing is the bomb. Makes my skin super soft and keeps it from drying out at the end of the day.

Moving on to the concealer: I use the concealer from my Sephora Palette. It's kind of light for me, but it works wonders with my foundation from MAC. Forgive my awkward smile!

I don't own a contour kit because I thought I could use the eye shadows from my palette. That might seem crazy, but it actually works!

I used the dark brown eye shadow under my cheekbones, under my chin, and on my eye lid to give my eyes more definition. Note I don't use it on the sides of my nose. My nose is broader, and I don't feel the need to make it thiner, so I keep it that way. It's also relatively straight, so I don't need to enhance its sides. I do put concealer on the bridge, which I think is enough.

To top off my look, I added eye liner, for a settle winged eye, a coat of mascara, some dark red lip-liner and pink lipstick. And that's my finished look for the day!

Items used:

Homemade Coconut and Shae butter mix

Sephora Makeup Academy Palette Concealers

MAC Matchmaster SPF 15 Foundation

Claire's Eye Liner

Burgundy Lip Line

MAC Lust Plumful AB2 Lipstick

The Beauty Expo

I have been going to a lot of fashion events in SF recently, but only this time did I have time to snap pictures. I was working at one of them, and having too much fun at the other one! However I thought I'd show what I wore for The Beauty Expo on May 4th. It was my first time, and didn't really know what to put on, so I decided to go casual.

The Beauty Expo is a hair and makeup showcase held annually in San Francisco, and also a styling competition mixed with a networking event. This time around, bloggers competed for the best street style, and the winner won a JustFab bag (I was jealous)! It was nice to mingle with fashion industry professionals; I certainly plan to go again!

Anyway, the pictures I took will probably tell a better story.

Bisous,

Brigitte.

FLASHNEWS: I wanted to let you guys know that I am now a contributor at HerCampus (yaay), a college lifestyle online magazine. Feel free to check out the latest posts: "2 Ways of Styling Overalls", and "How to Shop Smarter"!!

Shirt: random vintage shop on Haight Street

Jeans: H&M

Flatforms: H&M

Purse: random shop in Paris

Earings; Buffalo Exchange

 

London / Milan Fashion Week Beauty Trends: Mascara-free Makeup Look

What am I hearing? Are we ditching mascara next spring?

I am a big dreamer, and among other dreams of mine, sitting front (or second, or any) row at New York, London, Milan and Paris fashion weeks is probably the biggest. But until then, I closely follow the shows online (you can watch Paris Fashion Week here, how cool is that) from the coziness of my bed.

If you do watch the shows, you already know that a few exciting trends were making their debut on and off the catwalks at the different fashion weeks: fur, patchwork-like details, biker jackets, but also mid-length skirts and shorter heels (yay for our feet).

I am not one to follow trends to the letter; I believe in unique style and wearing whatever makes you feel great and comfortable. But one major trend actually caught my eye and made me want to try it out. It wasn’t related to clothing, but to beauty.

Have you noticed too? Mascara, the one element that we all thought was irreplaceable, was not  part of the beauty looks during most shows, especially in London and Milan.

My first thought when I read about this new beauty trick was: but how do you make it work? But after going through a lot  of Instagram backstage photos and actually seeing the models faces, I was – pleasantly – surprised to see that going mascara-free wasn’t that cray-cray. It actually gave a very fresh touch to the faces, on every skin tone (yay for us chocolate gals).

Many looks were almost completely neutral, with a splash of colored eye-shadow for some, lots of highlighting and contouring, thick eyebrows and bold lippies in Milan. There the trend was the same for most fashion maisons, except for Prada who went for, well, the opposite. Interesting.

I had to try, so I went mascara-free with several colors and a neutral face as you can see down below, and I must say I kind of love it! What do you guys think? Yay or nay? Which look do you like best?
And would YOU rock the look?

Neutral face: "No Makeup" makeup look

Sephora Concealer*

MAC Matchmaster SPF 15 foundation

Sephora Cream blush*

Mac Studio Fix NC46 powder

Sephora light brown eye shadow

Transparent lip balm

Blue Touch:

Same base

Sephora light blue matte eye shadow*

Sephora glittery blue eye shadow*

Sephora brown lipstick

Pop Art:

Same base

Sephora bright yellow eye shadow*

Claire's Liquid eyeliner

Upper lip: Sephora red lip-gloss*

Bottom lip: Sephora orange lip-gloss*

Glossy Glossy:

Is it weird that I used transparent lip-gloss on my lids? You tell me!

I hope you liked this post!

Bisous, Brigitte

*All the makeup from Sephora comes from the SEPHORA Makeup Academy Palette from my Christmas gift guide! It's really convenient to have all your makeup in the same box, plus there is choice for every skin tone. =)

My Christmas gift guide: Fashion, Beauty, Skin Care and Tech!

It's that time of the year again!

I am getting super-excited since we entered the month of December! Magical decorations and Christmas trees are already set up in my neighborhood, I think about all the delicious food that is to be cooked and shared with friends and family, and we’re all getting our style on point for New Year’s Eve.

But as much as I love to eat, the best part for me is always the moment when we open the presents! At this time of the year, we focus on making our loved ones happy by finding the perfect gift…And that's where I stop dreaming, because now I think of how much of a hassle it is to find that perfect gift!

Last year, I almost lost it while trying to find cool, useful AND affordable items for each and every member of the family. This year, my early resolution is to never get to that point, ever again! So I brainstormed, researched, and eventually made this little guide of 10 affordable and useful items that one cannot go wrong with!

1. “My Little Mini Box” by L’Occitane en Provence – Free with order of $25+

This cute little box contains generous bubble bath soap, an eau de toilette with a delicate floral fragrance, a soft hand cream enriched with milk and almond oil, and two Christmas treats: a soft blend of Kusmi Tea herbs and a delicious Première Pression Provence calisson.

Get it here!

Photo credit: loccitane.com

2. “Makeup Academy Blockbuster” BY SEPHORA - $49.50

This makeup palette is composed of 130 colors for complete eye, lip, and full-face looks, perfect for the season’s parties! It will help create thousands of looks for all skin tones, and all occasions.

The set contains eye shadows, lip-glosses, blushes, eyeliner crème, concealers, eye shadow primer, lip primer, two double-ended sponge tip applicators, a double-ended eye shadow brush. a double-ended blush brush, and a mirror.

Get it here!

Photo credit: sephora.com

3. MINT Crop Sets by Diarra Bousso - $39.99

              

These crops sets are perfect for fashionistas who want to get their style on point for next Spring! The outfits feature floral patterns, soft colors and fresh, interchangeable designs, and they are to die for!

The website is offering 20% off on all items for a limited time, so hurry up!

Photo credit: dakarboutique.com

4. Amoeba Records Gift Certificate

If you have a music lover in your life, the best gift for him or her would certainly be a (free) record shopping spree for Christmas!

You can purchase a gift certificate for amounts between $1 and $300, right here.

Photo credit: amoeba.com

5. Leather Touchscreen Gloves by Mujjo - $75

In this age, these gloves are probably the best gift you could ever make to anyone who owns a phone. Even though they are a bit on the pricey side, they are also fashionable and functional, and they will help avoid freezing our fingers every time we get a text message. Game-loving people will love this.

Get them here!

Photo credit: range.wordpress.com

I hope you like this little list, and if you have other ideas, let me know in the comments!

Happy holidays!

Brigitte